The Readings Podcast: Recent Episodes
Readings Books
The Readings Podcast is a celebration of books, reading and pop culture. Episodes are published fortnightly and include author interviews, event recordings, booksellers chatting about their favourite reads, industry insights, and more.
In today's episode, a conversation with Simon Reynolds, acclaimed music writer and journalist, and author of a new book, Still in a Dream: Shoegaze, Slackers and the Reinvention of Rock, 1984-1994. Twenty years after his acclaimed postpunk best-seller, Rip It Up and Start Again, Simon Reynolds tells the tale of what happened next: the underground explosion of noisepop, shoegaze, slacker rock and grunge that reverberated through the mid-Eighties into the early Nineties. Capturing the musical exhilaration of the era along with the alienation of youth during a period of ascendant conservative politics and glitzy mainstream pop, Still in a Dream celebrates a golden age of guitar reinvention, a second psychedelia of mind-blowing sounds pioneered by bands like My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth. In Britain, groups like Cocteau Twins and Slowdive escaped into shimmering dreamworlds while American underground rockers like Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement blended apathy and urgency into thrilling noise. A propulsive and personal account from a journalist who covered this music in real time from the frontlines, Still in a Dream vividly recreates a period that was the last blast for the analogue culture of vinyl records and music papers, before the Internet changed everything.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781399618373/still-in-a-dream--simon-reynolds--2026--9781399618373
In this episode, a conversation recorded at the Melbourne launch of Jordan Prosser’s new work of fiction/sci-fi, Blue Giant, an unruly eulogy for millennial optimism – and a deranged love letter to a generation torn between helplessness and selfishness. Abby always believed she was destined for great things. But her dream career as an industry-disrupting fashion designer went up in smoke, and her aspirations to become a world-renowned yogi and/or save the endangered tigers proved equally fruitless. She’s in her early thirties, suffering the unbearable burdens of adulthood and anonymity, when she wakes up after a drunken bender with an all-new, all-consuming purpose in life: to be the first person on Mars. Perfect timing – Danish tech entrepreneur Tor Skovgaard is currently recruiting for a one-way mission to colonise the red planet. Abby knows this is it: her last-ditch bid for fame and glory. And if she can’t be humanity’s saviour … she’ll settle for being its martyr.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9780702269240/blue-giant--jordan-prosser--2026--9780702269240
In this episode, a conversation with Avigayl Sharp, author of a blisteringly funny and transcendently deranged debut novel for fans of Ottessa Moshfegh, Patricia Lockwood and George Saunders. In Offseason, our fiercely observant but self-deluded narrator finds herself teaching at an all-girls boarding school in a remote coastal town. In between manic lectures that veer from Charles Dickens's Bleak House to the childhood maltreatment of her beloved Iosif Stalin and the generational legacy of the Holocaust, she implicates everyone she meets in her quest to pin down where exactly her own life went wrong. Avigayl Sharp was interviewed by author Raeden Richardson, to discuss this new book, process and craft, and the role of the novel in contemporary consciousness and culture.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781399637015/offseason--avigayl-sharp--2026--9781399637015
In this episode, a conversation with Mirandi Riwoe, the award-winning, bestselling author of Stone Sky Gold Mountain, and of a new book, the story of an Irish-Chinese family over four generations in Australia, A Short History of Longans. It’s the winter of 2049 and Daniel is elderly and long isolated. Soon after yet another devastating storm, this time destroying his beloved longan tree, he finds his fragile peace threatened by a growing friendship with a widowed neighbour and the appearance of a young reporter digging into a shameful event buried deep in his past. As the novel moves back to autumn 2000 and then to summer 1949 and finally to the spring of the mid-nineteenth century, Daniel's family's history unspools, until we meet a Chinese bushranger, Ah Yang. Intriguing and beautifully written, this dazzling novel unravels the secrets and memories of an Irish-Chinese family to explore what it means to belong to place, to ancestors, to ourselves – spanning centuries and generations.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9780702269004/a-short-history-of-longans--mirandi-riwoe--2026--9780702269004
In this episode, another instalment of the Comics Question, where Bernard Caleo discusses comics, graphic novels, and the place they inhabit within the broader books and publishing world. Bernard was joined by Trace Balla, a much-loved Australian children's book writer, illustrator, and author of an extraordinary, inspiring and hope-filled graphic novel, Treeshape. This beautiful book tells the story of young Trace's awakening to the preciousness of the environment, including her participation in the protests against uranium mining at Jabiluka in the 1980s. Channelling her gift for visual storytelling, Trace reveals emotional truths, shares her commitment to environmental activism, highlights trees that have been meaningful in her life, and explores her deep appreciation of place and connection with First Nations peoples.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781761181252/treeshape--trace-balla--2026--9781761181252
In this episode, a conversation with two psychologists; father-and-daughter duo Rachel E. Menzies and Ross G. Menzies, the authors of a new book, Being: Why it's harder to be human than a hamster or a herring. Being human is hard. From early childhood, we start to become aware of the difficulties we must all inevitably face. We will battle an inner critic across the entirety of our life. We will never truly know those around us, and time will destroy all we create. Death becomes a reality, and we cannot escape the knowledge that it is coming for us all. These are the problems of being. In this book, the two Menzies – Rachel and Ross – explore what it means to be human, and our shared need for love, meaning and self-understanding. They highlight the power of hope, the role of purpose in wellbeing, and how acceptance is key to a more authentic and joyful life.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781761471438/being--rachel-e-menzies-ross-g-menzies--2026--9781761471438
In this episode, a recording taken from the launch of Joanne Wallis and Jack Corbett’s co-authored book ‘Neighbours: Australia and the Pacific’, in which they detail a new vision for our country and our region. Australia has a long history in the Pacific. Many Australians might have forgotten it, but the region has not forgotten us. This book provides an alternative way Australia might relate to its Pacific neighbours. It replaces amnesia with storytelling that emphasises common ancestors, interests and language. It replaces Australian ambivalence with recognition, humility and respect. It does not seek to wish away the realities of asymmetry and hierarchy between Australia and Pacific Island countries, but instead outlines how Australia can work more productively within them. It argues that Australia can only work towards being a better neighbour if it understands its history in the Pacific Islands, and the ideas that have guided its foreign policy in the region for the last two centuries. Tracing the many dimensions of that past engagement, it provides an up-to-date account, written by two highly experienced experts.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781760645571/australias-pacific-history--joanne-wallis-jack-corbett--2026--9781760645571
In this episode, a conversation with Chris Ames, author of a debut collection of short stories, I Made This Just For You. The characters in this book are perfect avatars of modern life. They work in tech, take designer drugs, assemble IKEA furniture, pursue beauty matching, and rehabilitate their reputations – all while grappling with a perilous sense of unease, held hostage by economic forces beyond their control. I Made This Just for You lives in weird and flirts with normal. The stories explore the tension between authenticity and performance, as characters navigate the anxieties of modern parenthood, the disorienting nature of loss and memory, and the absurd, often dystopian, intersection of the digital and the real. This savage, sideways collection asks: How do we measure the distance between two people? How can we thrive within our own ceaseless routines? And how are we still drawn together, in spite of our messy, broken ways of knowing?Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781761154782/i-made-this-just-for-you--chris-ames--2026--9781761154782
In today's episode, another instalment of the Comics Question, where Bernard Caleo discusses comics, graphic novels, and the place they inhabit within the broader books and publishing world. This week, Bernard is joined by Readings’ children's book division manager, Kim Gruschow. This month of July, Readings is both promoting in-store and offering discounts off a broadened array of Graphic Novels, Comics and other related forms of storytelling. Ahead of some marquee releases scheduled for this year, Bernard sat down with Readings’ Kids Buyer Kim Gruschow to point to some favourites and a brief chronology of the graphic novel form in Australia.Like what you heard? Shop our July graphic novel sale here: https://www.readings.com.au/collections/australian-graphic-novels-for-kids
In this episode, a conversation with novelist and poet Maria Takolander, author of The End of Romance, a new work of dystopian fiction. It is the future, and the earth has seemingly refused to cooperate with humanity, producing only thorn-bearing plants and caustic fogs in abundance. Life is hard for those who still inhabit urban communities. For those who have chosen to live ‘off-grid’ it is subsistence at best, but at least there is some kind of independence. A woman and her son live alone, surviving as scavengers. Even so, the boy must attend military school like all the other boys. In time he will be shipped off with the rest of them to a distant planet – the Promised Land – to fight the colonising war that is touted as humanity’s only hope. By chance, the woman meets a young man who has avoided this fate, despite his lack of physical impairment. It appears that he comes from a place of sanctuary. Can he lead her back there – and help her to save her son? In taut, evocative prose, Maria Takolander has conjured an eerie and compelling story of desolation and hope that resonates in the imagination.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781925355093/the-end-of-romance--maria-takolander--2026--9781925355093
In this episode, a conversation with writer, social worker and counsellor Laura McPhee-Browne, author of the novel Worry Doll, a thrilling exploration of love and desire – obsessive, all-consuming, and impossible to look away from. On an ordinary day, two women meet on a train. Heloise – the older woman – lives with her boyfriend in Melbourne. Lacey – the other woman – is from Aotearoa and studies the clouds. What follows is anything but ordinary, a passionate affair that will consume them both in mismatched and maddening ways. Propulsive and lyrical, Worry Doll examines desire, memory, and the delusion of love.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781761381850/worry-doll--laura-mcphee-browne--2026--9781761381850
In this episode, a conversation with Madeleine Gray, author of Chosen Family – a queer, epic literary novel for all readers by the award-winning author of the internationally acclaimed bestseller Green Dot. Books about friendship are not often described as love stories, but this is one. Nell Argall and Eve Bowman are both brilliant, odd and friendless. Traumatised in their first year of high school, their lives are changed forever when they meet. Set in Sydney over eighteen years, Chosen Family follows Nell and Eve as they grow into themselves, as they both love and destroy each other. Can the wounds of adolescent betrayal ever really heal? Can we ever really understand what is going on in someone else’s head?Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781761635724/chosen-family--madeleine-gray--2025--9781761635724
In today's episode, a recording taken from the Melbourne launch of Tony Albert’s incredible new art book, Not A Souvenir, a landmark monograph that celebrates an artist, curator and cultural leader, whose work reshapes how we see Aboriginal identity, urging a more honest and hopeful vision of Australia's past and future. Tony Albert's art reclaims and reframes the imagery of Aboriginal Australia with wit, beauty and force. Across painting, photography, sculpture and installation, his practice explores Aboriginal culture, identity and history through a deeply personal lens. Drawing on individual and collective pasts, Albert transforms the visual language of colonisation – turning objects of prejudice into symbols of resistance, resilience and pride. Not a Souvenir is the most comprehensive publication on the artist to date, tracing his journey as one of Australia's most incisive contemporary voices. Across themes of past, present and future, the book unpacks the many critical questions raised in Albert's work: how do we remember, give justice to and rewrite complex and traumatic histories?Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781760764555/tony-albert--tony-albert--2026--9781760764555
In this episode, we have a conversation with Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff, co-authors of Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed. Who on earth is Elon Musk and what is he doing? Is he a hero, a villain, or does he swing constantly between those two poles? According to the constant media gush driven by his every act and pronouncement, Musk is best understood in personal terms. This book argues differently. Rather than seeing Musk as an individual, it sees him as an avatar of something called Muskism: a playbook for our new postliberal age. It’s not that Musk himself holds a coherent set of beliefs; you could say his life is one long improvisation. And he’s certainly never used the word Muskism – just as, a century ago, Henry Ford never used Fordism to define his own postliberal modernity. In exploring the forces that have shaped Musk, from South Africa to Silicon Valley, Space X to DOGE, Slobodian and Tarnoff outline the motifs and practices that have come to dominate our own crisis-ridden world. Muskism, they show, speaks the language of crisis and emergency to invoke a less human future: where humans are purged from the productive process and, through social media and video games, merged with the machine. This is a worldview in which the technocrat is king; which piggybacks on the state to achieve supremacy; and in which only a select few deserve salvation. If you enter, this book warns you, you will grind and you will live in the shadow of one man – but the rewards could be priceless and the alternative might be extinction.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9780241805114/muskism--quinn-slobodian-ben-tarnoff--2026--9780241805114
In this week's episode, we're doing something a little different. As Readings celebrates Australian Fiction throughout June, we're turning to the people who spend every day talking about books: our booksellers. Australian writers have shaped our literary culture and found readers around the world, yet they can still be overlooked in international conversations about great literature. Rather than trying to define a canon, we've asked Readings staff across our Melbourne shops to share the Australian novels they return to, recommend and love. From literary classics to contemporary favourites, these are passionate, personal recommendations celebrating the extraordinary breadth of Australian storytelling.
In this episode, a conversation with two contributors to Griffith Review 92. Griffith Review is a quarterly literary journal, with every edition exploring a different theme, bringing together long-form critical and analytical non-fiction and creative writing from the finest emerging and established writers from Australia and overseas. In his piece ‘Encircling the flames,’ Raeden Richardson reflects upon his time at Yale-NUS College, Singapore, and in her own work, ‘The limits of authenticity,’ Mindy Gill asks the reader to contemplate, just as she does, on literary culture, inclusion and the commodification of identity. The two writers were joined in conversation by Darby Jones, a writer and editorial assistant at Griffith Review, to discuss the themes of these essays more broadly.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781923213197/griffith-review-92--2026--9781923213197
In this episode, a conversation with Steve Toltz, Booker-shortlisted author, and the writer of a new audacious, comic lament for a world that no longer knows itself – a novel titled A Rising of the Lights. In a reeling world of fraudsters and hypnotists, sleep talkers and estranged twins, false alibis and second chances, Rusty Wilson is beset on all sides by mysteries. Why was his childhood decided by a throw of dice, why has his wife confessed to a lover, and why do his parents no longer wish to see him? When Rusty loses his job to an AI system, Edwina, the mercurial friend of his youth, finds him a new role as an oracle to the young. But how can he advise anyone on what it means to be human when artificial consciousness appears within reach? If it's all just one more con, it's not clear who's scamming who. Besides, should any of it matter to Rusty, when all he wants is for those he loves to love him back?Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781761355936/a-rising-of-the-lights--steve-toltz--2026--9781761355936
In this episode, a conversation with writer and comedian Patrick Marlborough, author of Nock Loose. Set in the fictional coastal town of Bodkins Point, where an annual ultra-violent medieval festival has warped local history and identity for generations, it follows retired Olympian archer and former Tokusatsu stunt performer Joy as she embarks on a revenge quest through a landscape of grifters, weirdos, colonial ghosts and spectacular violence. Equal parts satire, thriller and fever dream, it’s a feral, funny and surprisingly heartfelt novel unlike anything else in contemporary Australian fiction.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781760997441/nock-loose--2026--9781760997441
In this episode, a conversation with Y.M. Abdel-Magied, author, writer, commentator and the mind behind a new book, At Sea. Expert driller Zainab is called to take charge of a high-stakes oil rig operation. Unable to resist the opportunity, she leaves behind her pregnant sister and heads offshore for the job of her life. But there's a catch. The rig is teetering on the edge of disaster – and Zainab is the only woman amongst a crew of hardened men who want absolutely nothing to do with her. At the helm but forced to prove herself at every turn, Zainab labours to investigate the rig's imminent collapse. She quickly grasps that the real danger lies in the cold calculations and base desires of the men she is forced to spend every waking moment with.As tensions rise and secrets unravel, Zainab races to uncover the truth bubbling below and fend off the looming catastrophe. Explosive and thought-provoking, At Sea is an exhilarating story about the clash of ambition, principle and prejudice, and the unexpected consequences of our choices.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781837267095/at-sea--ym-abdel-magied--2026--9781837267095
In this episode, a conversation with award-winning poet and writer Doireann Ni Ghriofa, author of a new book, Said the Dead. In the city of Cork, a derelict Victorian mental hospital is being converted into modern apartments. One passerby has always flinched as she passes the place. Had she lived in another time, she too might have found herself held within those walls. Now, she notices a sign: FOR SALE. It is the first of many signs. Guided by an irresistible impulse, she follows them. Soon, she is trespassing, stealing, absconding from the routine of mother, spouse, daughter, as she uncovers a chorus of startling voices: those of the women who knew the hospital best. They murmur from archives and old records. They haunt from stairwells and walls. In them – and in one figure in particular – she may find meaning and solace, righteous anger, salvation even. Or her final vanishing? A work of sublime intensity and tenderness, Said the Dead breaks the boundaries between worlds – past and present, imagined and real, fact and fiction – to make something new and lasting: an experience full of danger, full of love and full of truth.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9780571396177/said-the-dead--doireann-ni-ghriofa--2026--9780571396177
In this episode, some different introduction music. This is Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturne in B-flat minor, Op. 9, No. 1 (from 1832), and the reason is that today’s conversation is with Susan Tomes, a celebrated pianist, an author of Nocturnes and the Fascination of Night Music, an engrossing history of the music of twilight and sleep, from the nocturnes of John Field and Chopin to Max Richter. In an insomniac age, ambient and sleep music have become increasingly popular. But our association between music and sleep is not new: lullabies may be the oldest form of music and are instantly recognisable across peoples and cultures. Why does the night hold such musical fascination for us, and what forms do its sounds take?Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9780300278897/nocturnes--susan-tomes--2026--9780300278897
In this episode, a conversation with poet and novelist Lisa Gorton. Mirror Landscape: New and Selected Poems is a tribute to Gorton’s achievement, and it brings together in one volume poems published over the past twenty years, from her first collection Press Release to her most recent Mirabilia. It also includes a substantial new sequence of poems, ‘Caesars’, on the relation between art and power. The title reflects Gorton’s fascination with the perspectives of space and time, and the ways in which memory and landscape, the past and the future, fold in and out of each other.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781923106734/mirror-landscape--lisa-gorton--2026--9781923106734
In this episode, a conversation with Yann Martel, winner of the 2002 Man Booker Prize, and author of a new novel, Son of Nobody. In this new book, we meet Harlow Donne, who sacrificed his life to the study of the Classical world. When he is invited to Oxford University to work on an obscure collection of papyrus fragments it is an academic’s dream come true. He must leave behind his daughter and wife in Canada, but offers like this don’t come twice and he badly needs a change of fortune. Then, while studying in the Bodleian Library, he unearths a completely undiscovered account of the Trojan War, a glimpse into the founding of Western civilisation itself. He names the poem The Psoad, after its protagonist, a commoner identified only as Psoas, the son of nobody. As sole translator and author of The Psoad, Harlow dedicates the poem and its footnotes to his daughter Helen, allowing the text to unlock the echoes of the ancient Greeks into the present day, and to share a personal message with his beloved child. Despite the two-thousand-year gap between the two, a thread hasn’t frayed: the universal song of homesickness and regret, of ambition, love and grief. A work of myth, history and domesticity, Son of Nobody explores how stories become facts, the price we pay to share them and how we live – then, now and always.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781923058811/son-of-nobody--yann-martel--2026--9781923058811
In this episode, a conversation with journalist and human rights advocate Antoinette Lattouf, the author of a new book, Women Who Win: Celebrating Courage, Conviction and Change. In this book, Lattouf highlights and speaks with women who defied expectations and shattered cultural and legal barriers – usually while being cast aside and asked to calm down. Threaded throughout is Lattouf’s account of her own landmark victory – one woman, armed with ethical resolve, taking on Australia’s most powerful media institution. In doing so, she sparked a global conversation on power, prejudice and the price of integrity in the press.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781761355370/women-who-win--antoinette-lattouf--2026--9781761355370
In this episode, a conversation with writer and journalist Antoun Issa, author of Rebirth: A Love Story from the Depths of War. Beirut, Lebanon – 1974. Laila Khalil has just come of age for marriage. The eldest of five in a poor Catholic family, Laila knows that she must fulfil her family's expectations. But her heart is drawn to the handsome Nicolas, a coiffeur at a local hair salon. Dodging the watchful eyes in their patriarchal society, particularly those of Laila's domineering father, the two young lovers begin a tender romance. Soon, they make plans for marriage. But Laila's dreams are dashed when the Lebanese Civil War breaks out. Shells whir overhead as Laila's family are caught in heavy clashes between rival militias of Phalangists and those belonging to the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. When tragedy strikes, Laila watches all her hopes wither to ash. But just as life seems at its darkest, a lifeline presents itself: the prospect of migration to a faraway land called Australia. Rebirth is the story of Antoun Issa’s mother, of the home and family she left behind, and of her new life in Australia.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9780733651885/rebirth-wto--antoun-issa--2024--9780733651885
In this episode, a conversation with Angela O’Keeffe, author of the novels The Sitter and Night Blue, and now, a new work, Phantom Days. The stories that unfold in this book are, in part, told by a book. The book is a quiet observer, both as object and as subject, as listener and teller, primarily a witness to the story of three people – mother and daughter Maggie and Isabel, and another, Lewis. But there is another anthropomorphised object of powerful, narrative pertinence that also serves O’Keeffe’s explorations into the mysteries of many things in this novel: violence, love, and creation.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9780702271151/phantom-days--angela-okeeffe--2026--9780702271151
In this episode, a conversation with #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer and rising star Tamara Moss, co-authors of The Escape Game, a new YA mystery-thriller filled with sabotage, betrayal, and puzzles. The two authors were joined in conversation by Readings Marketing and Events Coordinator, Lucie Dess, to discuss their writing process (an intercontinental writing process, that is), their ideal escape rooms and what it’s like to embark upon writing a thriller.
In this episode, a conversation with writer Ana Schnabl, author of Flood Tide. In moderate physical decline, and with an immoderate weed habit, the novelist Dunja Anko returns home to the Slovene Adriatic coast to play detective and solve the mystery of her brother’s death. The going is arduous, the people inscrutable; her old friends have had years to forget – or to convince themselves they don’t remember. Dunja must contend with desire and disgust, curiosity and fear, as she begins to doubt her reasons for returning. Elegantly plotted, funny and self-reflexive, Flood Tide is a psychologically deft exploration of the trauma wrought by human limitation and indecision.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781739516154/flood-tide--ana-schnabl--2025--9781739516154
In this episode, a conversation with Patrick Ness, acclaimed author, screenwriter and journalist. Ness has made a return to his bestselling Chaos Walking series and the setting of New World, with Piper at the Gates of Dusk. Something has been spotted in the night sky. Something that’s bringing back dreams of Noise, dreams of terror. Brothers Ben and Max have never really gotten on, each being more like one of their parents – Todd and Viola. But now they will have to come together, for something is coming. Blending sci-fi, speculative fiction and adventure with themes of power, division and hope, Ness has found another story he wants to tell, one that answers interesting questions and explores fascinating new frontiers but never loses sight of the heart that was so important to those first three books.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781529537581/piper-at-the-gates-of-dusk--patrick-ness--2026--9781529537581
In this episode, another instalment of the Comics Question, where Bernard Caleo is in conversation with acclaimed comics artist, Mandy Ord. Ord’s work has been featured in numerous publications, and her books have received both national and international awards and nominations. In her new book, Sassy, Ord captures an animal-related encounter every day for a year bringing whimsy and delight to the weird and wonderful.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9780646733371/sassy-a-year-of-animals--mandy-ord--9780646733371
In this episode, a conversation with Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston, a neuroscientist and author of the book The Future Loves You: How and Why We Should Abolish Death. This book puts forward a bold and, at times, unsettling idea – that death may not be as inevitable as we’ve long assumed. In the book, he argues that as medicine continues to advance – from ventilators to brain implants – we’ve already begun to blur the boundary between life and death. And if what truly defines us is not our heartbeat or our breath, but the structure of our minds – encoded in the brain – then perhaps preserving that structure could allow future generations to revive us. It’s a provocative shift in perspective. Because if death is not simply biological failure, but the loss of personal identity, then the question becomes: can that identity be preserved? And if it can, what would it mean – for us, and for the kind of future we’re building?Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781802063790/the-future-loves-you--dr-ariel-zeleznikow-johnston--2025--9781802063790
In this episode, another instalment of the Readings Kids Podcast, and an interview with Fiona Wood, author of The Boy and the Dog Tree, an exceptional middle-grade novel about the special bond between a dog and his boy; a heart-lifting tale of friendship, courage and belonging.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9780702269226/the-boy-and-the-dog-tree--fiona-wood--2026--9780702269226
In this episode, a conversation with award-winning playwright George Kemp, about his debut novel, Soft Serve. Stuck in a regional McDonald’s, as bushfires close in, three twenty-somethings and their dead friend’s mum all face a reckoning. Fern longs for Ethan, Ethan longs for Jacob, and Jacob struggles to long for anything. Meanwhile, Pat just wants her grief to ease up. Soft Serve proves that small-town lives are huge, and that anyone can get stuck in limbo between their past and their hoped-for future. The book is described as ‘drive-thru Chekhov’, full of wit and heart.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9780702269134/soft-serve--george-kemp--2026--9780702269134
In this episode, another instalment of the Comics Question, where Bernard Caleo is in conversation with acclaimed graphic novelist and comic artist, Lee Lai. In Cannon, Lee Lai’s follow-up to the critically acclaimed and award-winning Stone Fruit, the full palette of a nervous breakdown is just a part of what is on offer. Lai’s sharp sense of humour and sensitive eye produce a story that explores the intimacy of queer friendship and the weight of family responsibility, and breaks open the question of what we owe both to each other and to ourselves.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781923106406/cannon--lee-lai--2025--9781923106406
In today’s episode, a conversation with Francesca Wade, author of Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife, a biography as unconventional and surprising as the life it tells. 'Think of the Bible and Homer, think of Shakespeare and think of me,' wrote Gertrude Stein in 1936. Admirers called her a genius, sceptics a charlatan: she remains one of the most confounding - and contested - writers of the twentieth century. In this literary detective story, Francesca Wade delves into the creation of the Stein myth. We see her posing for Picasso's portrait; at the centre of Bohemian Parisian life hosting the likes of Matisse and Hemingway; racing through the French countryside with her enigmatic companion Alice B. Toklas; dazzling American crowds on her sell-out tour for her sensational Autobiography - a veritable celebrity. Yet Stein hoped to be remembered not for her personality but for her work. From her deathbed, she charged her partner with securing her place in literary history. How would her legend shift once it was Toklas's turn to tell the stories - especially when uncomfortable aspects of their past emerged from the archive? Using astonishing never-before-seen material, Wade uncovers the origins of Stein's radical writing and reveals new depths to the storied relationship which made it possible. This book truly shows Gertrude Stein as she was when nobody was watching: captivating, complex and human, and of particular note, it grants pertinent insight into her life with, and the life of, her companion Alice B. Toklas. Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9780571369317/gertrude-stein--francesca-wade--2025--9780571369317
In this episode, a conversation with Fiona Hardy, author of Old Games, a pacey, off-beat Aussie crime story about two best female friends and investigators unravelling the private lives of Melbourne's celebrity sportspeople. Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781761638275/old-games--fiona-hardy--2026--9781761638275Morally flexible best mates and private investigators Alice and Teddy pride themselves on fixing every kind of mess imaginable, no questions asked. So, when they're tasked with locating the recently-stolen ashes of long-dead celebrity tennis player Ashley “Perry” Perrineau, it should be a routine job. But it quickly becomes clear that everyone who knew Perry is keeping secrets: his accountant despises Perry's widower; the sculptor of his statue is hiding something in her studio; his ex-doubles partner is a compulsive liar; and his mother is obsessed with preserving his legacy and her image at all costs. Alice and Teddy will need to travel up and down Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula – all while avoiding more than one person on their tail – to uncover the truth and keep the body count from rising. But will they and the people they love survive what they find?
In this episode, a conversation with Alister Newstead, a music journalist, reporter and music editor with Triple J and Double J, and author of a new book in the 33 1/3 series on Tame Impala’s landmark album, Currents. The album is emblematic of a cultural shift in music production and consumption in the early days of streaming and a project that cemented its creator, Kevin Parker, as one of Australian music's most unlikely success stories and influential exports. This book dives deep into Currents, examining its context, creation, content and lasting impact on the history of Australian popular music. The album's theme of metamorphosis and genre-blurring sound embodied (and possibly encouraged) a wider shift in the 2010s of popular music trends, consumption and listening habits.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9798765137017/tame-impalas-currents--alister-newstead--2026--9798765137017
In this episode, another instalment of The Comics Question, where Bernard Caleo discusses comics, graphic novels, and the place they inhabit within the broader books and publishing world. Today’s conversation is with cartoonist Georgina Chadderton, who, in her new book Oh Brother, examines the fun and difficult parts of growing up alongside her autistic brother, Rob. Although Georgina has been published all over the globe, Oh Brother is her first full-length graphic novel. When they're not making comics, Georgina co-directs Papercuts Comics Festival, runs comics-making workshops and reads comics by their favourite comics makers (basically, it’s all comics, all the time).Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781761046346/oh-brother--georgina-chadderton--2026--9781761046346
In this episode, a conversation with poet and writer, Hasib Hourani, author of rock flight. This is a book-length poem that, over seven chapters, follows a personal and historical narrative to compose an understated yet powerful allegory of Palestine’s occupation. Formally claustrophobic, the poem morphs into irony, declaring everything a box while refusing to exist within one.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781923106116/rock-flight--hasib-hourani--2024--9781923106116
In this episode, another instalment of the Readings Kids podcast, and an interview with the author Ruby Jean Cottle, writer of Black River, a mystical new YA series that blends fantasy, sci-fi and romance. Ruby Jean Cottle was interviewed by members of the Readings Teen Advisory Board, who posed questions throughout the conversation.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781761631603/black-river-volume-1--ruby-jean-cottle--2025--9781761631603
In this episode, we’re delighted to begin 2026 with an interview with one of Readings’ favourite writers, a key member of Australia’s literary community and a frequent guest (in the interviewer seat) on the Readings Podcast itself, Kate Mildenhall. Her acclaimed books include Skylarking, The Mother Fault and The Hummingbird Effect, and joining these with publication late last year is The Hiding Place. It’s The White Lotus meets The Slap, in a razor-sharp literary thriller about deception and self-deception, and how far people will go to protect what they feel they ought to have.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781761429057/the-hiding-place--kate-mildenhall--2025--9781761429057
In this episode, a conversation with Tony Tulathimutte, author of Rejection, an audacious and original novel-in-stories, following a cast of intricately linked characters as rejection throws their lives and relationships into chaos. Sharply observant and outrageously funny, Rejection is a provocative plunge into the thorniest problems of modern life: sex, relationships, identity and the internet. We see a tryhard male feminist's passionate allyship turn to a furious and debilitating nihilism as he realizes, over thirty lonely years, that his feminism isn't getting him laid; a young woman's unrequited crush spirals into borderline obsession and the systematic destruction of both her sense of self and her group chat; and witness a shy late bloomer's flailing efforts at a first relationship lead to a life-upending mistake. As these characters pop up in each other's dating apps and social media feeds, or meet in dimly lit bars and bedrooms, they reveal the ways that our delusions can warp our desire for connection.Enjoyed what you heard? Click here to purchase the book: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9780008759384/rejection--tony-tulathimutte--2026--9780008759384
In this episode, a conversation with author Laura Bates, author of The New Age of Sexism. AI is here, bringing a seismic shift in the way our society operates. Might this mean a future reimagined on equitable terms for women and marginalised groups everywhere? Not unless we fight for it. At present, power remains largely in the hands of a few rich, white men. New AI-driven technologies, with misogyny baked into their design, are putting women in danger, their rights and safety sacrificed at the altar of profitability and reckless speed. In The New Age of Sexism, Sunday Times bestselling author and campaigner Laura Bates takes us deep into the heart of this rapidly evolving world. She explores the metaverse, confronts deepfake pornography, travels to cyber brothels, tests chatbots, and hears from schools in the grip of online sexual abuse, showing how our lives – from education to work, sex to entertainment – are being infiltrated by easily accessible technologies that are changing the way we live and love. What she finds is a wild west where existing forms of discrimination, inequality and harassment are being coded into the future we will all have little choice about living in – unless we seize this moment to demand change.Gripping, courageous and eye-opening, The New Age of Sexism exposes a phenomenon we can’t afford to ignore any longer. Our future is on the line. We need to act now, before it is too late.
In this episode, a conversation with author Sarah Housley, author of the new book, Designing Hope. When did we stop dreaming of a better future? What happened to the science fiction golden age of the 1950s, when futurism flourished as a discipline and drove innovation? As a society, we either struggle to imagine something good for the times to come, or we fail to picture any future at all. Our world is in polycrisis: we face climate breakdown, societal fracturing, governmental collapse, war, and rising inequality. The exciting outcomes we dreamed of, from the space race to wonder material plastic, have brought contingent problems of their own. We haven’t yet developed mainstream and accessible new narratives to replace these failures, and if you ask someone to imagine ‘the future’, they’ll probably still picture flying cars. Designing Hope resets expectations. Through the lens of four emerging futures, Sarah Housley shows us visions of hope that inspire action and critical thinking about how we’ll live in the decades to come.
In this episode, a conversation with poet Ender Başkan, author of a new book, Two Hundred Million Musketeers. In this work, Başkan explores the complexities of parenthood and family life, and anxieties about the future his children will grow up in. It maps the shifting trains of thought when one’s attention is drawn in many different directions – between child-rearing and house-keeping, domestic crises, the need to earn a living, and the responsibilities you have to the past as well as to the future, to your own parents and grandparents, as well as to your children.
This is a very special instalment of the podcast, as we have not one, not two nor three, but four interviews with four award winners – the 2025 winners of the four categories of The Reading Prize.First presented in 2014, The Readings Prize supports new and outstanding Australian voices across three separate categories of fiction: Children’s, Young Adult and New Australian Fiction. The Readings Prize is unique in the Australian literary landscape as it’s the only prize currently run by an independent bookshop and supporting emerging Australian voices. Winners of each category are awarded $5000 and the winner of the Gab Williams Prize, which is judged by the Readings Teen Advisory Board, wins $1000. To celebrate The Readings Prize in 2025 we have brought together short interviews with each of the winners and the respective Chair of Judges for your listening pleasure.
In this episode, a conversation with Bri Lee, the acclaimed and bestselling author of Eggshell Skull and The Work, and of a new novel, Seed. Mitchell is a brilliant biologist, committed to the environment and the growing global antinatalist movement. For one month each year he lives with his colleague Frances in a utopia of radical equality and scientific dedication in Antarctica. They are concluding the Anarctos Project: a seed vault in an isolated, secret location. It is a biodiversity insurance policy against humanity's devastating effects on the rapidly warming planet. But when their helicopter doesn't pick them up, and strange things begin to happen, their faith in science is suddenly not enough. Mitchell has been keeping big secrets - from Frances and from himself. The ice haunts him with memories of a devastating betrayal and questions of legacy and fairness crowd his mind. If they don't get back to McMurdo Station before the last flight home they face a long dark polar winter together. Alone. As the days get shorter, these two people of firm logic and reason begin finding fault lines in their perfect social experiment. Thrilling, original and almost unbearably suspenseful, Seed offers an uneasy glimpse into isolation, love and our worst fears.
In this episode, a conversation with Andrew Pippos, the author of Lucky’s, awarded the Readings Prize for Fiction, on his new, forthcoming book, The Transformations. In the fading glow of Australia's print journalism era, The National is more than a newspaper: it's an institution, and the only place that George Desoulis has ever felt at home. A world-weary subeditor with a bookish sensibility and a painful past, George is one of nature's loners. But a late-night encounter with an unorthodox and self-assured reporter, Cassandra Gwan, begins to unravel both of their carefully managed worlds. As the decline of the newspaper enters a desperate stage, George and Cassandra struggle to balance their turbulent relationship with their responsibilities to family, and the compromises each has built their life upon. With a deft wit and a sharp eye for emotional complexity, Pippos examines the stories we tell ourselves, and the ways people handle grief, guilt and generational change. The Transformations is a novel about endings – of dreams, relationships, institutions – and the chance of new beginnings.
In this episode, a recording taken from the launch of Monica Raszewski's Crimson Light Polished Wood. Leonora, a British teacher, has relocated to Melbourne and falls in love with Margaret, a fellow female teacher who three years later dies of cancer. While still grieving for Margaret, Leonora meets and befriends Anna, the Polish woman who lives next door. As Leonora becomes increasingly involved with Anna and her family the novel illuminates with subtle ease the influence Leonora has on Anna's daughter, Lydia, introducing her to the wonderful world of literature and art. This is a novel about the ways we all long for acceptance and the ways in which those we might feel most in touch with including parents, siblings and mentors can often have different values and views about us. As such it is a beautiful work about art, gender, disappointment, understanding and celebration.
In today’s episode, a conversation with a longtime Readings favourite, Toni Jordan, about her most recent book, Tenderfoot. The story is set in Brisbane, 1975: Andie Tanner's world is small but whole. Her mum is complicated, but she adores her dad and the kennel of racing greyhounds that live under their house. Andie is a serious girl with plans: finish school with her friends, then apprentice to her father until she can become a greyhound trainer, with dogs of her very own. But real life rarely goes to plan, and the world is bigger and more complicated than Andie could imagine. When she loses everything she cares about – her family, her friends, the dogs – it's up to Andie to reclaim her future. She will need all her wits to survive this new reality of secrets and half-truths, addictions and crime.
In today’s episode, a conversation with respected journalist and acclaimed novelist Paul Daley, author of a new book, The Leap. The Leap is an outback town fuelled by fear, churning with corruption, prejudice and misogyny – and blighted by its inescapable history of frontier violence. Into this nightmarish morass falters traumatised British diplomat, Benedict Fotheringham-Gaskill. He’s on his first Australian mission, one seemingly straightforward enough – until he arrives in The Leap to battle a town conspiring against him.
In today’s episode, a conversation with Rhett Davis, author of a new novel, Arborescence. Bren works for an obscure company with colleagues he's never met, and who might not be real. His partner, Caelyn, is looking for something more but isn't sure what. The only thing she knows for certain is that humans are breaking the world and she's powerless to do anything about it. Arborescence is a compelling, deeply moving novel about connection and disconnection, ambition and apathy, loss and hope, and how we don't always know what we have until the damage is done.
In today’s episode, a conversation with writer, podcaster and academic Amy Lovat, author of the new novel, Big Feelings, a neurotic, anti-romantic comedy for fans of Fleabag and High Fidelity. Our protagonist Sadie Thomas is obsessed with love stories, and whether hers stacks up – for the perfect love story is all Sadie has ever wanted. Her parents' story is what rom-com dreams are made of. But, so far, no one has offered the Happily Ever After that Sadie is searching for. In meeting the charismatic Chase, Sadie is ready for her sail-off-into-the-sunset, credits-roll happy ending. But being a self-saboteur, Sadie is left to ponder the mess of how life and love went so wrong.
In this episode, a conversation with writer Samantha Byres, author of the new novel, Dead Ends. All-round chaos merchant Nell Jenkins has returned to her small hometown to fulfil family duties for the mother and brother she's barely seen since making her escape as a teen. But her homecoming isn't the triumph it should be. She has nothing to show for her time in Sydney but a string of failed relationships, crappy jobs and an ongoing HR complaint against her ex-girlfriend, now former boss. Settling right back into old habits, Nell finds herself sparking a relationship with her dead best friend's brother Mick, as well as the newly arrived and equally unreliable Katya, who is working for the once-famous TV psychic Petronella Bush. Driven by her lust for Katya, an empty bank account and the need to come to terms with two life-defining deaths from her past, Nell is drawn deeper into Petronella's charismatic web. Dead Ends is a beguiling, big-hearted portrait of love and loss, and the bad decisions we make in their wake.
In this episode, a conversation with Mikayla Bridge, author of the Young Adult Fantasy Novel, Of Flame and Fury. The book focuses on Phoenix racing: exciting, profitable, deadly. No one knows this better than Kel Varra and her crew, the Crimson Howlers. They live on the edge of survival. When a mysterious tech billionaire offers them a place at his training facility, it gives them hope but also forces Kel to team up with Coup, her arrogant, infuriating rival. Embroiled in political scheming, volatile phoenix magic and a smouldering romance, Kel and Coup discover a conspiracy that threatens them all.
In this episode, writer and broadcaster Steve Vizard in conversation with Michael Veitch about Vizard’s new book, Nation, Memory, Myth. Vizard brings an original perspective to the foundational myth of Gallipoli as a sacred bearer of Australian national values and identity. In this scrupulously researched close reading of the Gallipoli mythology, Vizard dissects the elements common to all national myths that transform them into compelling symbolic performances of cultural memory and kinship, unpicking the tensions and explaining the ambiguities embodied within.
In this episode, a conversation with author Jennifer Mills, author of Salvage, a work of suspenseful, deeply human literary speculative fiction, in which two estranged sisters reconnect in the aftermath of ecological and social collapse. Jude's life has been about survival. She works on rebuilding - fixes roofs, trucks supplies, transports refugees. Tries to stay free from attachments and obligations. But Jude won't talk about her past. Or her sister Celeste, lost in the tragic failure of a space station that was supposed to save her, and the other ultra-rich, from the wreckage of a dying world. When an escape pod falls from the sky, its passenger near death, Jude knows her anonymous existence can't continue. As the fragile peace of her community is put at risk, Jude must re-examine the terms of her survival - and her exile. Salvage is a gripping novel of literary speculative fiction that asks: what does it mean to care for each other, after the end of the world?
In this episode, a conversation with screenwriter and actor Miranda Nation, author of New Skin, a powerful debut about first love and second chances from a stunning new voice in Australian fiction. Alex and Leah meet at medical school and form an immediate and intense connection. Over the course of four years, they are caught in the push-pull of passion and betrayal, longing and reunion. Neither can quite give up the relationship, even as they question whether they are good for each other. Years later, when Alex and Leah are drawn together once more, will they make the right choice? New Skin evokes a coming of age in the 1990s and charts the course of first love and its power to shape who we become.
In this episode, a recording taken from the Melbourne launch of the novel Pissants, by Brandon Jack – former Sydney Swans football player. In Pissants, the embittered fringe players of an unnamed football club follow rules of their own. Fangs, Stick, Squidman and Shaggers speak in a cryptic code of inside jokes and WhatsApp exchanges, chained to each other by their place on the outskirts of the team. Together, these characters present a jaw-dropping snapshot of life within the chaotic world of a professional sports club. The psychotic rituals. The dementing cliches. The adulation. The pressure. The broken staff. The despair. The life-saving friendships. The flatlining sexual encounters. The towering egos.
In this episode, a conversation with writer Sophie Quick, author of the new book, The Confidence Woman. Christina is a single mother living in the Melbourne suburbs, but to her online clients she is the esteemed Dr Ruth Carlisle, an 'executive coach and mindset expert, specialising in high-performing individuals’. Dr Ruth gains her clients' trust through her coaching business, discovering their secrets and deepest fears. Through this elaborate scam, she's saving money for the ultimate unobtainable Australian dream: a home deposit. But when she blunders, and her worlds begin to collide, suddenly everything is at stake. The Confidence Woman is a novel about more than one kind of confidence game. It explores and hilariously skewers contemporary cults of self-optimisation, while also creating a moving and too-real portrait of what it's like to strive for success (or just security) in a rigged system.
In this episode, a special conversation with Tania Davidge, Executive Director and Chief Curator with Open House Melbourne. Across Melbourne, every building, street and public place tells a unique story. Shaped by its transformation over time and the diverse communities that live here, the city is more than its bricks and mortar - the city is about people and place. The stories of our city are embedded in its urban landscapes and the people who live, work and play here. The much-loved Open House Weekend sees tens of thousands of people come out to celebrate architecture and the city, and this year, Readings is partnering with the organisation. To tell us more about the weekend and what is in store, Davidge was joined in conversation by Chris Gordon, the Readings Community Engagement and Programming Manager.
In this episode, New York Times-bestselling author Amie Kaufman, in conversation with members of the Readings Teen Advisory Board. Kaufman’s book Lady’s Knight, co-authored with Meagan Spooner, takes readers on a wild ride through a sapphic romance. Gwen is tired of hiding – whether it’s her secret role as her father’s blacksmith, her attraction to girls or her desire to become a knight. Lady Isobelle, on the other hand, has never had to hide who she is – until she becomes the grand prize in the Tournament of Dragonslayers. When their paths collide, the two hatch a daring plan: Gwen will joust in the tournament, disguised as ‘Sir Gawain’, with victory bringing freedom for Isobelle – and glory for Gwen.
In this episode, Hugh White, author of a new Quarterly Essay, in conversation with Michael Wesley about Australia’s place in the new global landscape. Are we ready for our post-American future? In an era of rising danger for all, and dramatic choices for Australia, White explores how the world is changing, and Australia should respond. Under Donald Trump, America's retreat from global leadership has been swift and erratic. China, Russia and India are on the move. White explains the big strategic trends driving the war in Ukraine, and why America has "lost" Asia. He discusses Albanese Labor's record and its post-election choices, and why complacency about the American alliance – including AUKUS – is no longer an option. This essential essay urges us to make our way in a hard new world with realism and confidence.
In this episode, a conversation with writer Tyler Jenke, author of an in-depth look at the rise of enigmatic Australian rock band TISM, the unexpected success of their 1995 album, Machiavelli and the Four Seasons, and the continued trajectory of their storied career. Focusing on one of Australia's most enigmatic bands, This Is Serious Mum (better known as TISM), Jenke forms an analysis of the anonymous, pseudonymous Melbourne collective's rise to prominence and unlikely success on the popular music charts with their third album, Machiavelli and the Four Seasons (1995). Jenke details TISM's origins as they slowly went from a bedroom concept to an underground success to a staple of concert stages and commercial radio in Australia, growing a rabid fanbase in the process.
In this episode, a recording taken from the launch of acclaimed author Laura Elvery’s novel, Nightingale, inspired by the life of Florence Nightingale; part historical fiction, part ghost story, and utterly original. Mayfair, 1910. At the age of ninety, Florence Nightingale is frail and no longer of sound mind. After a storied career as a nurse, writer and statistician, she now leads a reclusive existence. One summer evening she is astonished to receive a visitor – a young man named Silas Bradley, who claims to have met her during the Crimean War fifty-five years ago. But how can this be? And how does the elusive Jean Frawley connect their two lives? In this eagerly anticipated novel, Laura Elvery shows why she is one of the most lauded writers of her generation. Nightingale is a luminous tale of faith and love, bravery and care, and the vitality of women's work.
In this episode, a conversation with author Kimberley Allsopp, author of Love and Other Puzzles, and a new book, Rise and Shine. Charming, wryly funny, poignant and original - Rise and Shine is a love story, yes, but it's a love story that happens ten years into a marriage, when somebody wants out. It is also a story about life, love and happiness, and in the absence of happiness, what we need to do to find it again. Rise and Shine is an utterly surprising delight, a break-up tale that is also a love story; endearing, astringent and original.
In this episode, a conversation with the bestselling author of The Truth About Her, Jacqueline Maley. Maley’s new book, Lonely Mouth, is a tender and vivid novel about the conflicted way women think about their bodies, their appetites, and themselves in the world.
In this episode, a conversation with Jane Caro, a commentator, writer and activist, and author of Lyrebird. In this new crime novel, which opens twenty years in the past, ornithology student Jessica Weston recorded a lyrebird mimicking a woman's dying screams and reported it to police, but her claims were dismissed. Now, two decades later, a body is discovered exactly where Jessica had said it would be. Retired detective Megan Blaxland, who originally believed Jessica, returns to lead the reopened investigation. She and Jessica are determined to seek justice for the long-ignored victim, whose death was witnessed only by a bird and her murderer. But as they dig deeper, they uncover dangerous truths that put their own lives at risk.
In today’s episode, author Hamish McDonald in conversation to discuss his book, Melanesia: Travels in Black Oceania. Stretching from Fiji in the east to New Guinea in the west, Melanesia is astonishingly diverse. Its islands are home to some 1,200 language groups, many of them still isolated from the outside world. In Australia, this complex region tends to make the news only in times of crisis – military coups in Fiji, Kanak unrest in New Caledonia, rioting in Solomon Islands. Melanesia offers readers a deeper insight into the people and places behind these headlines, combining travelogue, history and astute political analysis.
In this episode, a recording taken from the launch of historian Lisa MacKinney’s book, Dressed in Black: The Shangri-Las and Their Recorded Legacy. MacKinney marshals an impressive array of new evidence to tell the story of the Shangri-Las, one of the most significant-and most misunderstood-pop groups of the 1960s. Sisters Mary and Betty Weiss, together with twins Mary Ann and Marguerite Ganser, were schoolgirls when they formed the Shangri-Las in 1963, and had a meteoric rise to fame with songs like "Leader of the Pack" and "Remember (Walking in the Sand)." Their career was cut short for reasons largely beyond their control, derailed by the machinations of Mafia-linked record executives, and heartbreak and tragedy followed. Equally importantly, Dressed in Black radically rewrites the accepted narrative of the Shangri-Las' place in rock history. As young women, they were permitted little agency within a male-dominated industry that viewed teenagers as fodder to be manipulat-ed and exploited by producers, songwriters, and label owners. For decades, this has served as an excuse for critics to deny the musical input of the group members, to trivialize the Shangri-Las as a "girl group," and to assign their work a lesser rank in the canon of "authentic" rock and roll. MacKinney's great achievement here is to foreground the Shangri-Las' considerable abilities and musicality, and establish the centrality of their performance of their songs to the group's underappreciated artistic achievement.
In this episode, a recording taken from the launch of Irma Gold's novel Shift. Gusty and gripping, tender and deeply compassionate, Shift is a compulsively readable story about the messy process of art-making, and the mess of love and family. It is an unflinching, insightful and immersive novel that takes the reader inside the inner life of one township in South Africa, beyond the hyperbole of newspaper headlines, to offer bold, big-hearted hope. In the year of the 70th anniversary of the Freedom Charter which outlined the principles of democracy and freedom in South Africa comes a novel set in the township where it was signed. Shift asks us to examine both the world around us, and ourselves.
In this episode, a recording taken from the launch of the anthology, Someone Like Me. In the book, edited by Clem Bastow and Jo Case, 25 Autistic gender-diverse and women writers explore their experiences – and explode stereotypes. This groundbreaking anthology ranges from sex, living room dance parties and the natural world to eating disorders, all-encompassing passions and religion. Autistic people of all kinds are invited to find company in these pages – and maybe even see themselves, too. The book was launched by ABC Radio National’s Hilary Harper and the event featured readings from several contributors.
In this episode, a conversation with a Readings favourite, Diana Reid, author of the new novel, Signs of Damage. The Kelly family’s idyllic holiday in the South of France is disturbed when Cass, a thirteen-year-old girl, goes missing. She’s discovered several hours later with no visible signs of injury. Everyone present dismisses the incident as a close brush with tragedy. Sixteen years later, at a funeral for a member of the Kelly family, Cass collapses. The present and the past start to collide as buried secrets come to light and old doubts resurface. What really happened to Cass in the South of France? And what’s wrong with her now? A gripping tale of unravelling memories and moral ambiguities, Signs of Damage wrestles with the difference between understanding other people, and trying to explain them.
In this episode we have a conversation with acclaimed author, Kate Grenville, to discuss her most recent book, Unsettled. Grenville is no stranger to the past. Her success and fame as a writer exploded when she published The Secret River in 2005, a bestseller based on the story of her convict ancestor, an early settler on the Hawkesbury River. More than two decades on, and following the defeat of the Voice referendum, Grenville is still grappling with what it means to descend from people who were, as she puts it, “on the sharp edge of the moving blade that was colonisation”. So she decided to go on a kind of pilgrimage, back through the places her family stories happened, and put the stories and the First People back into the same frame, on the same country, to try to think about those questions. This gripping book is the result of that journey.
In this episode, a conversation recorded at the launch of Shapeshifting, a wide-ranging collection of nonfiction by First Nations writers co-edited by Jeanine Leane and Ellen van Neerven. With Evelyn Araluen and contributors.These lyric essays push the boundaries of nonfiction beyond the biographical or the academic, with pieces that experiment with form and embark on carefully crafting and re-crafting interventions that both challenge and expand existing genre structures.
In this episode, a conversation with academic Kate Fitz-Gibbon, and author of Our National Crisis. In this book, Fitz-Gibbon explains why violence against women and children is not a series of isolated incidents but a pervasive, systemic issue. The impacts of this violence on individuals, families and communities are wide-ranging and can be long-term. Addressing domestic, family and sexual violence requires a national effort across the full spectrum of prevention, early intervention, response, and recovery and healing.
In this episode of the Readings Kids podcast, a conversation with Lisa Fuller, winner of The Readings YA Prize in 2020, and author of the new book, Washpool. In Fuller’s new work of middle grade fiction, the world looked as though it had been drawn in weird crayon colours ... There were no bird calls. No distant rustling of animals in the scrub. No breeze teasing the tops of the trees. Everything was still. Bella is shy and thoughtful. Her big sister, Cienna, is popular and brave. One thing they have in common is their love for Washpool, the local swimming spot. But one weekend when they dive into Washpool, Bella and Cienna surface in the strange new world of Muse.
In this episode, a discussion about music and why it matters in our lives. Leading the conversation is Dr. Shain Shapiro, author of the book This Must Be The Place: How Music Can Make Your City. To discuss live music and culture in Melbourne, pre- and post-Covid, Shapiro was joined by Helen Marcou, cofounder and owner of Bakehouse Studios, Patrick Donovan, former CEO of Music Victoria, and Kirsty Rivers, former director of Creative Australia, now with SoundStory.
In this episode, a conversation with author Melanie Cheng, a winner of the Victorian Premier's Literary Award, and author of the book, The Burrow. Amy, Jin and Lucie are leading isolated lives in their partially renovated, inner city home. They are not happy, but they are also terrified of change. When they buy a pet rabbit for Lucie, and then Amy's mother, Pauline, comes to stay, the family is forced to confront long-buried secrets. Will opening their hearts to the rabbit help them to heal or only invite further tragedy? The Burrow tells an unforgettable story about grief and hope. With her characteristic compassion and eye for detail, Melanie Cheng reveals the lives of others – even of a small rabbit.
In this episode, a conversation with New York Times-bestselling author Neal Shusterman. Shusterman’s newest book, All Better Now, is a young adult thriller about a world where happiness is contagious but the risks of catching it may be just as dangerous as the cure. Three teens from very different backgrounds who’ve had their lives upended in very different ways find themselves at the center of a power play that could change humanity forever.
In this episode, a conversation with Sara Haddad, author of the novella, The Sunbird. Haddad’s book follow’s Nabila Yasmeen, a woman in her eighties. She lives alone with over a hundred plants that she keeps in pots because she can’t bear to put them in the ground. In June of 1948, as a six-year-old girl, she was expelled with her family from their village in Palestine. Now she carries the weight of that expulsion with her, and her past and present are one. Told in two timeframes, The Sunbird is a modern parable that tells the story of millions who just want to go home.
In this episode, a conversation with Tess Woods, author of The Venice Hotel. When the lives of four very different women become entangled in a boutique Venice hotel, dark secrets unravel and not everyone who checked into the hotel will check out again. The Venice Hotel explores the powerful bonds that develop between women in times of crisis, and the healing power of female connection.
In this episode, Ryan Shelton and Josh van Cuylenburg of The Imperfects podcast detail their new project, My Imperfect Life: A Novel Journal Written by You, the Listener, the Reader, the Writer. On The Imperfects, with Hugh van Cuylenburg, the hosts talk to a variety of interesting people who vulnerably share their own struggles and imperfections, or expertly pass on their wisdom on the subject of imperfection, all with the aim of finding some valuable takeaways we can all apply to our own imperfect lives.With 100 questions inspired by episodes from 2024 on The Imperfects, My Imperfect Life is an introduction to vulnerability, allowing you to unpack your own imperfect life and be more vulnerable with yourself.
In this episode, a conversation with Raeden Richardson, author of The Degenerates. Following the interwoven lives of four characters across India, Australia and the United States, this novel takes root in Melbourne and brings its streets, shopping centres and laneways to life with astounding originality. In propulsive prose, The Degenerates summons the power of storytelling, disrupts conventional narratives and pays tribute to those lives often lost in the margins.
In this episode, a conversation with Nina Kenwood, author of The Wedding Forecast. The writer of two successful young adult novels, this new book is the perfect aged-up addition to Kenwood’s bibliography. Laugh-out-loud funny with chemistry that jumps off the page, The Wedding Forecast ought to be the feel-good romcom of the summer.
In today’s episode, an instalment of the Readings Kids Podcast, and an interview with Tigest Girma, author of Immortal Dark. The first in a new fantasy trilogy, Readings’ own Angela Crocombe wrote that Immortal Dark is ‘a fascinating world incorporating African myth and characters, who just happen to live in close proximity with vampires,’ and that ‘it features sophisticated writing with compelling, three-dimensional characters and intricate world-building.’ Orphan Kidan Adane is the heiress to a fallen House of humans bound to vampiric creatures known as draniacs. As a human, it is her responsibility to study and nurture the relationships between draniacs and humans at Uxlay University. But when her sister is kidnapped and Kidan suspects that her own house draniac, the enigmatic Susenyos, is to blame, she heads down a violent path towards vengeance, willing to hurt anyone who stands in her way.
In this episode, a conversation with acclaimed sex expert Georgia Grace. Grace’s new book, The Modern Guide to Sex, is the ultimate handbook for experiencing full-body pleasure, sexual confidence and fulfilling relationships. It's a new go-to sex guide for everyone. Featuring full-colour illustrations of anatomy and techniques, as well as practical, therapeutic support on navigating communication, common sexual concerns and exploration, this book is all about making sex pleasurable, inclusive and shame-free. It will change the way you think, feel and experience sex for the better.
In this episode, we have a conversation with award-winning author, Robbie Arnott. Be it The Rain Heron, Limberlost or Flames, Arnott’s highly regarded and very successful novels have captivated readers, and his newest book, Dusk, is no different. In the distant Tasmanian highlands, a puma named Dusk is killing shepherds. Down in the lowlands, twins Iris and Floyd are out of work, money and friends. When they hear that a bounty has been placed on Dusk, they reluctantly decide to join the hunt. As they journey up into this wild, haunted country, they discover there's far more to the land and people of the highlands than they imagined. And as they close in on their prey, they're forced to reckon with conflicts both ancient and deeply personal.
In this episode, a recording taken from an in-store event with Anita Heiss, an author, poet, cultural activist and social commentator. Heiss’ most recent book, Dirrayawadha, is a groundbreaking historical novel about resistance, resilience and love during the frontier wars. Set in the early 19th century, the book focuses on resistance leader Windradyne, a remarkable figure, and Heiss surrounds him with fascinating figures otherwise lost to history. With irresistible imagination and verve, as well as a deep desire for truth telling, Anita Heiss’s novels are an effort in re-peopling our collective past.
In this episode, Persuasion and Prejudice: a recording, taken from this year’s Rare Books Melbourne, of a lecture from Professor Gary Cazalet on Jane Austen and Lawyering. Perhaps a sign of broader changes to come, technology and artificial intelligence are replacing much of the traditional work of lawyers. Thus, the role of lawyers is rapidly changing. The uniquely human skills of empathy, emotional intelligence, creativity, and self-knowledge will become more important in the practice of law. Gary Cazalet has made the development of these skills a central part of his teaching in law and literature. In this lecture, he explores how reading Jane Austen can help law students and practitioners be better and happier lawyers.
In this episode, a recording of the Dirty Books Bookclub. Writer, journalist, the host of the podcast Bad Taste, Jess Ho, chats with executive chef Almay Jordaan about their favourite dog-eared, oil-splattered, food-stained cookbooks.
In this episode, a conversation with Andrew Fowler, author of Nuked: The Submarine Fiasco that Sank Australia’s Sovereignty. Like all military acquisition programs worth billions of dollars, Australia's decision to buy a new submarine fleet was expected to be a torturous process. But no one could have predicted the trail of wreckage it left behind, from the boulevards of Paris to the dockyards of Adelaide, as deep inside the Australian Government a secret group conspired to overthrow the winning French bid. In this tale of treachery and intrigue, Andrew Fowler exposes the lies and deception that so outraged the President of France. Interviewing many of the main people involved and talking to sources in Paris, London, Washington and Canberra, Fowler pieces together the plot to sink the French and switch to a nuclear-powered US submarine - a botched operation that severely compromised Australia's ability to defend itself.
In this episode: Fish. What is the best type of fish to use for a curry or stir-fry or to cook on the barbecue? What should we look for when buying fresh fillets at the supermarket or fishmonger? What are the foolproof techniques for shucking oysters and peeling prawns? Anthony Yotis and Laura di Florio Yotis know good seafood, and they know how to make it more accessible for home cooks. Anthony is the son of fishmonger Konstantinos Yotis, who ran a legendary seafood stall at Footscray's wholesale market for more than 40 years. Together with his wife Laura, Anthony has brought those years of expertise to their shop, and now to their debut cookbook. The Fishmonger's Son is an invaluable collection of information, advice and recipes based on the most popular fish and shellfish to cook at home. It includes general cooking, storage and preparation tips, plus 70 delicious family recipes, from burgers, bao and tacos to pies, pasta and more. This is the ultimate home cook's guide to buying, preparing and cooking the incredible seafood we have available in Australia.
In this episode, a conversation with Ailsa Piper, author of the memoir For Life. When her husband doesn't answer his phone, Ailsa Piper knows something is wrong. She calls their neighbour, and minutes later, he rings back. 'Oh, Ailsa. I'm so sorry,' he says. Five words to change a life. Wanting to flee her shattered world in Melbourne, Ailsa migrates north to Sydney. She makes a nest. She learns to swim. She walks the harbour cliffs to the lighthouse, meeting the locals: winter swimmers and shoreline philosophers. But we never leave our past behind. Ailsa is drawn back south, and even further back, to the west's aqua waters …
This is a very special instalment of the podcast, as we have not one, not two nor three, but four interviews with four award winners – the 2024 winners of the four categories of The Reading Prize.First presented in 2014, The Readings Prize supports new and outstanding Australian voices across three separate categories of fiction: Children’s, Young Adult and New Australian Fiction. The Readings Prize is unique in the Australian literary landscape as it’s the only prize currently run by an independent bookshop and supporting emerging Australian voices. Winners of each category are awarded $5000 and the winner of the Gab Williams Prize, which is judged by the Readings Teen Advisory Board, wins $1000. To celebrate The Readings Prize in 2024 we have brought together short interviews with each of the winners and the respective Chair of Judges for your listening pleasure.
In this episode, we have a recording taken from the launch of Follow Your Gut, with co-creators Briony Barr & Gregory Crocetti, writers Lisa Stinson & Ailsa Wild and illustrator Ben Hutchings. In this graphic novel, one meets the ecosystem inside them ... A timid Bifidobacterium named Biffy is forced to leave their family and become part of a new community, in the gut of a newborn human baby. Follow Your Gut is a comic that ate a biology textbook. It's an epic adventure set over the first three years of a new life, exploring one of the most important relationships you will ever have - the one with your gut microbiome.
A new instalment of The Comics Question, a series where Bernard Caleo and I discuss comics, graphic novels, and all manner of illustrated books, zines, and other associated productions.In this episode, Bernard spoke with Li Chen, author and illustrator of the graphic novel Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat.
In this episode, a recording taken from the launch of Emma Hakansson’s Sub-Human. The book delves into what it means to be an animal, how our view of other animals impacts our view of other people, oppressions, and the planet, how we got here, as well as how we can move forward together. The event was opened with a launching speech by Georgie Purcell MP of the Animal Justice Party, followed by a reading from Emma Hakansson, and audience questions.
In this episode, Andy McCarthy, author of Here Comes the Sun, in conversation. Misunderstood, tormented and bullied for years, Andy McCarthy was unable to find his pack. When he dropped out in Year 10, his prospects weren't good. He had no idea then that his personal drive and dogged determination would lead to incredible success. At 19, Andy connected his first solar panel and suddenly found himself powered by a purpose: to accelerate the world's transition to renewable energy. Where best to make that happen? Coal country, and a place that has provided Victoria with most of its energy for a century, the Latrobe Valley. From tiny beginnings in his home garage, Andy overcame a tide of ridicule, setbacks and opposition to build one of Australia's largest employers in the renewable energy sector: Gippsland Solar.
In this episode, Jordan Prosser, author of Big Time, in conversation. The book is set in a not-too distant future Australia, where the eastern states have become the world's newest autocracy – a place where pop music is propaganda, science is the enemy, nationalism trumps all, and moral indecency is punishable by indefinite detention. Big Time is an anti-fascist ode to the power of pop music and a satire about art in the face of entropy, all wrapped up in an unforgettable road trip. Jordan Prosser was joined in conversation by Jacinta Parsons, broadcaster and author of Unseen and A Question of Age. To introduce, here's the publisher of Big Time, Aviva Tuffield of University of Queensland Press.
In this episode, returning guest, Sarah Street, author of A Curse of Salt, in conversation to discuss their new book, A Sea of Wolves. The book is billed as a sapphic romantasy inspired by Little Red Riding Hood. It features an enemies-to-lovers fairytale twist set upon the stormy seas. It’s perfect for fans of Lies We Sing to the Sea and Marissa Meyer. Sarah Street is interviewed by Lucie Dess, the Readings Marketing and Events Coordinator.
In this episode, a conversation with Paul Ham, author of The Soul: A History of the Human Mind. Almost everyone thinks they have a soul, but nobody knows quite what it is. For thousands of years the soul was an 'organ', an entity, something that was part of all of us, that survived the death of the body and ventured to the underworld, or to heaven or hell. The soul could be saved, condemned, tortured, bought. And then, mysteriously, the 'soul' disappeared. The Enlightenment called it the 'mind'. And today, neuroscientists demonstrate that the mind is the creation of the brain. The 'religious soul' lives on, in the minds of the faithful, while the secular 'soul' means whatever you want it to mean. In The Soul: A History of the Human Mind critically acclaimed historian Paul Ham embarks on a journey that has never been attempted: to restore the idea of the soul to the human story and to show how belief in, and beliefs arising from, the soul/mind have animated and driven the history of humankind. The Soul is much more than a mesmerising narrative and uniquely accessible way of explaining our story. It transforms our understanding of how history works. It persuasively demonstrates that the beliefs of the soul/mind are the engines of human history. Paul Ham was interviewed by Mark Rubbo, chairman of Readings. I hope you enjoy their conversation.
In this episode, a conversation with Khin Myint, author of a new memoir, Fragile Creatures. Khin's sister Theda has a strange illness and a euthanasia drug locked in a box under her bed. Her doctor thinks her problem is purely physical, and so does she, but Khin is not so sure. He knows what they both went through growing up in Perth - it wasn't welcoming back then for a Burmese-Australian family. With Theda's condition getting worse, Khin heads off to the United States. He needs to sort things out with his ex-partner. Once there, events take a very odd turn, and he finds himself in court. This is a family story told with humour, wonderment and complete honesty. It's about care, truth and the hardest choices - and what happens when realities clash. How do we balance responsibility for others with what we owe ourselves?
In this episode, recorded live at Readings Carlton, a talk and a Q&A session with public intellectual and widely published author Clive Hamilton. Hamilton’s most recent book is Living Hot, a collaborative effort written with George Wilkenfeld. The book tells the blunt truth about our current climate change predicament: it’s time to get cracking on making Australia resilient to intensifying climate extremes. If we prepare well, we can give ourselves a fighting chance to preserve some of the best of what we have, build stronger and fairer communities, find a path through the escalating pressures of a warming world – and even find new ways to flourish.
In this episode, a conversation with Emma Kowal, anthropologist and physician and author of the book Haunting Biology: Science and Indigeneity in Australia. The book recounts the troubled history of Western biological studies and Indigenous Australians. The stories Kowal tells feature a variety of ghostly presences: a dead anatomist, a fetishised piece of hair hidden away in a war trunk, and an elusive white Indigenous person. By linking this history to the contemporary moment, Kowal outlines the fraught complexities, perils and potentials of studying Indigenous biological difference in the twenty-first century.
In this episode, something a little different, and a little bit special. Recorded live at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne, author and literary columnist Jane Sullivan interviewed Mark Rubbo, legendary bookseller, past president of the Australian Booksellers Association, and founding chair of the Melbourne Writers Festival. Of course, Mark Rubbo is also chairman of Readings, formerly Managing Director.
In this episode, a conversation with Francesca de Tores, author of Saltblood. The book is a work of historical fiction; it is a wild adventure, a treasure trove, and it weaves an intoxicating tale of gender and survival, passion and loss, journeys and transformation, through the story of Mary Read, a truly remarkable historical figure.
A new instalment of the Readings Kids Podcast. In this episode, Readings Prize and Readings Foundation coordinator Angela Crocombe – who is also senior buyer for Readings Kids – was joined by members of the Teen Advisory Board for a discussion with author Lili Wilkinson. Wilkinson is the award-winning author of nineteen books for young people, including The Erasure Initiative and A Hunger of Thorns. She has a PhD from the University of Melbourne, and is a passionate advocate for YA and the young people who read it, establishing the Inky Awards at the Centre for Youth Literature, State Library of Victoria. Her latest book is Deep is the Fen.
In today’s episode, a conversation with Rebecca Strating and Joanne Wallis, authors of Girt By Sea: Re-Imagining Australia’s Security. Australia has drawn closer to many of its Asia-Pacific neighbours in recent years, but 'when push comes to shove, it continues to look well beyond the oceans and regions that surround it to the distant horizons of Europe and North America for its ultimate security guarantee'. In Girt by Sea, international-relations experts Strating and Wallis instead turn their gazes to Australia's near region, focusing on the six maritime domains central to its national interests: the north seas.
In this episode, a recording taken from the launch of Judith Bishop’s Circadia. These fiercely empathetic poems range deep into the woods of present, past and future time. With visionary imagination and rapt musicality, this concluding volume in Bishop's award-winning trilogy on time sings in the mind long after reading.
In this episode, a conversation with Stuart Kells, author of the new book, Alice(TM). This book is the extraordinary story of Alice Corporation, a company created to reimagine financial markets, that brings together an unlikely cast of characters: renowned author Kate Jennings, international banking insider Ian Shepherd, Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling, German-born World War II historian Sigrid MacRae, J.P. Morgan deputy chair Roberto Mendoza - and his dog, Stanley.
In this episode, a conversation with Anna Downes, author of the crime novels The Safe Place, The Shadow House, and now, Red River Road. In this new book, set on the Coral Coast of Western Australia, solo traveller Katy is on a mission to find her free-spirited sister, Phoebe, who disappeared along the same route a year ago. But as she drives her campervan further into the wild north, Katy realises she's not as alone as she'd first believed. Soon she is pulled into a complicated web of secrets, lies, myths and stories that force her to question everything she thought she knew about her sister. Downes was joined in conversation by Kate Mildenhall, author of the acclaimed novels Skylarking, The Mother Fault, and The Hummingbird Effect.
In this episode, a conversation with Manisha Anjali, a writer, artist, and teacher, and author of 'Naag Mountain'. This book is a journey across oceans, from the Asian subcontinent to the South Seas, a journey about human trafficking on sugar plantations in Fiji and Australia. Anjali brings to life the histories and events, the stories and myths of a displaced and exploited people, that have been lost in time or forgotten or hidden from view. Anjali was joined in conversation by Izzy Roberts-Orr, a poet, playwright, broadcaster, arts worker, and a Creative Producer with Red Room Poetry.
In this episode, a conversation with Ouyang Yu, author, translator, academic, and renowned poet. Ouyang Yu’s first collection of stories in English, The White Cockatoo Flowers, is both assured and tender and at times surprisingly funny. It includes stories set in China and Australia that revel in the truth and candour of lived experience and the joys and constraints of language. In this book Ouyang Yu deftly peels back the layers on what it means to move from one culture to another, and what it means to be a writer, a husband, a parent and a stranger on foreign and familiar ground. Ouyang Yu was joined in conversation by Alice Pung, a writer and editor whose books include the memoirs Unpolished Gem, Her Father's Daughter, and the novel Laurinda.
In this episode, a conversation with Winnie Dunn – a Tongan-Australian writer, editor, the General Manager of Sweatshop Literacy Movement, and now author of the novel Dirt Poor Islanders. Dunn’s book is a potent, mesmerising novel that opens our eyes to the brutal fractures navigated when growing up between two cultures and the importance of understanding all the many pieces of yourself. Winnie Dunn was joined in conversation at Readings Carlton by Evelyn Araluen, poet and literary editor. Araluen’s first book, Dropbear, won the 2022 Stella Prize.
In today’s episode, a conversation with Amanda Hampson, author of the runaway crime novel success, The Tea Ladies. Hampson has returned with a sequel, The Cryptic Clue. It’s set in Zig Zag Lane, in the heart of Sydney's rag-trade district, where our intrepid tea ladies, Hazel, Betty and Irene, have their work cut out. Solving a murder, kidnapping and arson case, and outwitting an arch criminal, earned them the respect of a local police officer. Now he needs their assistance to help solve a plot that threatens national security.
In this episode, a conversation with award-winning writer Steven Carroll, author of Death of a Foreign Gentleman, the first book in a series of post-war literary crime novels featuring Detective Sergeant Stephen Minter. Set in Cambridge in 1947, the book is a playful, poignant and absorbing novel, with shades of The Third Man and Brighton Rock, which examines the question of how to live a meaningful life in an indifferent, random, post-God world.
A new instalment of the Readings Kids Podcast. This episode features some of the members of the Readings Teen Advisory Board engaging in conversation with Tobias Madden, author of the books Anything But Fine and Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell. Madden’s third YA novel, Wrong Answers Only, was recently published in Australia.
In this episode, a conversation with Victoria Vanstone, author of the new memoir, A Thousand Wasted Sundays. The book follows her journey from casual teen drinking to black-outs, boozed-up play dates to learning to live without her reliable social crutch. But it’s not a tale of misery and trauma, it’s the relatable story of a very normal woman with a very ordinary, socially acceptable drinking habit – and how therapy, and the support of her husband and friends eventually lead her to lasting sobriety and a new perspective on life.
In this episode, a conversation with author Sandra Goldbloom Zurbo, recorded live at the launch of her memoir, My Father’s Shadow. Zurbo grew up in thrall to her father, a prominent antiwar activist, brilliant political organiser and covert member of the Communist Party. She adopted his beliefs from an early age, becoming a supporter of the Soviet Union and a peace campaigner. She travelled with him, meeting figures such as Indonesian president Sukarno, and greeted Paul Robeson and North Korean delegates with him at home. But her father could be withholding and difficult. He had a sharp backhand and was not always a faithful husband. When Sandra entered adulthood and began to navigate a patriarchal world of work and relationships, she came to question aspects of her father’s worldview. As the communist ideals of the Left were tested and faltered over the Soviet Union, the mood of the times gradually shifted to embrace the counterculture. Sandra, living and working amid the swirl of Melbourne’s arts and political scenes, absorbed ideas about women, family and Jewish culture that often led to tense conversations with her father. My Father’s Shadow is a portrait of life on the Left during a time of great social change. Lyrical, sharply observed and affecting, it is a candid exploration of the fraught dynamics between father and daughter – and, ultimately, the love that underlies them.
An instalment of The Comics Question, a series where Bernard Caleo and I discuss comics, graphic novels, and all manner of illustrated books, zines, and other associated productions. In this episode, Bernard Caleo was joined by Readings bookseller Nick Curnow to give a round-up of some of the most intriguing, beautiful, and thought-provoking comics and graphic novels from 2023. This is part two of two, so do check out the first instalment of this particular conversation.
In this episode, a conversation with journalist and author Marina Kamenev, author of Kin: Family in the 21st Century. While the nuclear family still exists, many more types of kinship surround us. Kin is an investigation into what influences us to have children and the new ways that have made parenthood possible. It delves into the experiences of couples without children, single parents by choice and rainbow families, and investigates the impacts of adoption, sperm donation, IVF and surrogacy, and the potential for a future of designer babies. Assisted reproductive technology has developed quickly, and the ways in which we think and speak about its implications — both legally and ethically — need to catch up. This book is an incisive and powerful look at how families are created today, and how they might be created in the future.
In this episode, a conversation with Samantha Harvey, author of Orbital. This is life on our planet as you’ve never seen it before: in this spellbinding and uplifting novel six astronauts rotate in the International Space Station. They are there to do vital work, but slowly they begin to wonder: what is life without earth? What is earth without humanity? Together they watch their silent blue planet, circling it sixteen times, spinning past continents, and cycling through seasons, taking in glaciers and deserts, the peaks of mountains and the swells of oceans. The fragility of human life fills their conversations, their fears, their dreams. So far from earth, they have never felt more part - or protective - of it. Samantha Harvey’s previous books include The Wilderness, All is Song, Dear Thief and The Western Wind and a work of non-fiction, The Shapeless Unease: A Year of Not Sleeping. Her work has been longlisted for the Booker Prize, and shortlisted for the James Tait Black Award, the Women's Prize, and the Guardian First Book Award.
In this episode, a conversation with Mykaela Saunders, author of a new collection of short stories, ‘Always Will Be’. Saunders is a Koori/Goori and Lebanese writer, teacher and researcher, and the editor of This All Come Back Now, the Aurealis Award-winning anthology of First Nations speculative fiction. Saunders has been awarded numerous prizes for their writing, including the 2022 David Unaipon Award, and this most recent work draws from stories written from the past couple of years into a collection that poses the question: what might country, community and culture look like in the Tweed Valley if Gooris reasserted their sovereignty?
An instalment of The Comics Question, a series where Bernard Caleo and I discuss comics, graphic novels, and all manner of illustrated books, zines, and other associated productions. In this episode, Bernard Caleo was joined by Readings bookseller Nick Curnow to give a round-up of some of the most intriguing, beautiful, and thought-provoking comics and graphic novels from 2023. This is part one of two, so do subscribe to be notified when the second instalment of this particular conversation is made available.
In this episode, a conversation with Sonny Jane Wise, a trans, multiply neurodivergent & disabled public speaker, advocate and author. Wise’s most recent book, We’re All Neurodiverse, is an affirming and thoughtful guide to how and why we need to fundamentally shift our thinking about neurodivergent people. Through interviews, narratives, and the lens of their own raw experiences, they consider how current systems and structures that impact neurodivergent people are rooted in outdated capitalist and racist frameworks, and how these need to change and adapt to be neurodiversity affirming. Powerful and persuasive, this book is a clarion call for a kinder and more neurodiversity affirming society.
In this episode, a conversation with the new Executive Director and CEO of Stella, Fiona Sweet. Stella is a major voice for gender equality and cultural change in Australian literature. Founded in 2012, the organisation’s flagship program is the annual Stella Prize – a major literary award celebrating Australian women’s writing. Stella also delivers a suite of year-round initiatives which actively champion Australian women writers, tackle gender bias in the literary sector, and connect outstanding books with readers.
In this episode, a conversation with Jeanine Leane, Wiradjuri poet, writer and academic. Author of the acclaimed novel Purple Threads, winner of the David Unaipon Award, Leane’s poetry has also been widely awarded and commended across an extensive career as both a writer and a teacher. Her newest book, the poetry collection Gawimarra: Gathering, moves from deeply tender meditations on Country, culture and kinship, to experimental archival poems dissecting the violence and destruction of the settler-colony. This special book is the result of decades of poetic, political, and cultural work and reflection.
In this episode, a conversation with Alex and Stephanie Miller, discussing Miller’s most recent book, A Kind of Confession. The book is a secret look into Alex Miller's writing life, spanning sixty years of creativity and inspiration. As a young man in 1961 Miller left his work as a ringer in Queensland and set out to achieve his dream of becoming a serious novelist. It was not until 1988 that his first novel, Watching the Climbers on the Mountain, was published. Twelve more novels would follow, all bestsellers, many published internationally. This selection from his notebooks and letters makes it exhilaratingly evident that Miller has been devoted to finding and telling stories that are profound, substantial and entertaining, stories that capture both intellect and emotion. Miller's fascinating life is told in a personal, behind-the-scenes exploration of his struggle to become a published writer, his determination, his methods of creative thought and the sources of his inspiration. His writing, sometimes in anger and despair, sometimes with humour and joy, whether created for publication or for private meditation, is alive with ideas, moral choices, commentary, encouragement, criticism and love.
In this episode, a conversation with Damien Linnane: writer, artist, and editor of Paper Chained, an art and writing magazine for prisoners. Linnane’s memoir Raw chronicles a childhood marred by physical and sexual abuse, and a man’s subsequent search for identity in unhealthy places, such as violent gangs and the military.
In this episode, a conversation with Helen Hayward, academic, writer, and author of Home Work. When Helen Hayward had her two children in London, 25 years ago, she found looking after them easy. Loving and looking after her kids was straightforward. However loving and looking after her home was not. She had long been instructed to put her career first. So she did. Yet what to do with the mushrooming laundry by the bathroom door? And what about if she actually liked cooking? Home Work is a series of personal essays motivated by three questions.
In this episode, a conversation with Sam Sempill, chef, architect, and now author of Eat Lao: Recipes from a Lao Kitchen. The recipes in this book follow the trail of Sam's grandmother's cooking back to Lao. The food her grandmother cooked has remained a constant in Sam's life, providing her with a connection back to a country she left as a child. They celebrate the uniqueness of the Lao food tradition. Each recipe, like the scent of a signature perfume, evokes memories of a certain moment in time, and tells the story her family's journey from Lao to Australia. The recipes in this book aim to keep those memories alive and to share the unique flavours, joy and love of cooking from a Lao kitchen.
In this episode, a conversation recorded at the launch of Raimond Gaita’s Justice and Hope: Essays, Lectures and Other Writings. For more than three decades the incomparable voice of Raimond Gaita has been summoning us to new conversations that deepen our understanding of what matters most to human life and awaken the sense of our common humanity. For Gaita, we are never more fully alive than when we are fully present to one another in conversation. In a time when modes of communication tend to superficiality and self-promotion, when political debates are increasingly inured to lies and even violence, and the moral demands of dialogue give way to a torrent of competing monologues, Gaita's invitation to rediscover what genuine conversation requires of us could not be more timely. Gaita was joined in conversation by Maria Tumarkin.
In this episode, a conversation with Melbourne's favourite historian, Robyn Annear. In Corners of Melbourne, Annear takes us on an unorthodox tour of the city's streets and corners, telling stories about the events and people that have made these the most interesting places to be. In this (appropriately corner-shaped) book she will introduce you to - street-corner 'galvanisers' who offered the thrill of electric shock at threepence a time, the rude boys of the Fitzroy back streets who became the original 'larrikins' infants named for the corners on which they'd been abandoned, a rogues' gallery of unruly women, incorrigible men and runaway horses ... and, of course, the civic reprobates who discarded orange peel in the streets, to the risk of life and limb.
In this episode, a conversation with Ron Rash, author of The Caretaker. It is 1951; the close-knit community of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, does not welcome those who are different. Jacob Hampton’s wealthy parents disinherited him when he married Naomi, an uneducated hotel maid from out of town. They had bigger plans for him. Now Jacob has been called up to fight in Korea, leaving a pregnant Naomi behind. The only person he can entrust to take care of her is his lifelong friend, Blackburn Gant. The titular Caretaker, tending the local cemetery alone, is an outsider too, his appearance irrevocably altered by childhood disease. Slowly the two outcasts grow closer, their friendship blooming under small acts of kindness. Then, as they await news of Jacob’s return, a terrible, shattering act of deception derails all their lives. Ron Rash is a poet, novelist, writer of short stories, and an educator, holding the Parris Professorship in Appalachian Cultural Studies at Western Carolina University, teaching poetry and fiction. The Caretaker is his eighth novel, and he has produced four collections of poetry and numerous volumes and contributions of short stories, as well as a children’s book. Nominated for and winner of many awards across his career, he’s been twice a finalist for a PEN Faulkner award.
In this episode, a conversation with Sara M Saleh, author of the new poetry collection, The Flirtation of Girls/Ghazal el-Banat. Saleh is not only a poet; she is a human rights lawyer, and is the author of a novel, Songs for the Dead and the Living, which was published only a couple of months ago. Saleh is the daughter of Palestinian, Lebanese and Egyptian migrants, a lineage very much alive in her work, advocacy, and craft. She also co-edited the 2019 anthology Arab, Australian, Other: Stories on Race and Identity, and Saleh is the first and only poet to win both the Peter Porter Poetry Prize and the Judith Wright Poetry Prize.
In this episode, another instalment of The Comics Question, with Bernard Caleo. Bernard spoke with Steve Mushin, an industrial designer, illustrator and inventor, and, writer and illustrator of Ultrawild: an illustrated science and design book about tackling climate change with hilarious engineering ideas and extreme rewilding. Ultrawild has been created in collaboration with experts ranging from climate scientists and marine biologists to mechanical engineers and soil scientists. The book contains over 100 ludicrous sounding, scientifically possible inventions illustrated with over 1000 drawings. It’s packed with curious facts on everything from how plants and fungi share resources and the soil engineering power of megafauna, to insect and mechanical flight, high-tech microbe-powered toilets and the carbon-sequestering power of algae. Ultrawild is an optimistic book about creative thinking and the potential for change. Filled with laugh-out-loud design-ridiculousness, it aims to empower and excite a new generation of designers, scientists, engineers and wild thinkers.
In this episode, a conversation with cheese experts Ellie and Sam Studd, authors of The Best Things In Life Are Cheese. In this new book, they share their wealth of knowledge and all the practical info you need to up your cheese game, guiding you through the key categories of cheese – from blues and washed rinds to fresh cheeses such as mozzarella – telling the story of each, explaining how they are made and sharing tasting notes for their favourite cheeses in each category.
In this episode, a conversation with Charlie Porter, author of Bring No Clothes: Bloomsbury and the Philosophy of Fashion. In this book, Porter brings us face to face with six members of the Bloomsbury Group, a collective of artists and thinkers who were in the vanguard of a social and sartorial vision. As Porter carefully unpicks what they wore and how they wore it, we see how clothing can be a means of artistic, intellectual and sexual liberation, or, conversely, a tool for patriarchal control.
In this episode, The Dominatrix Next Door: when a cash-strapped single mother of two in suburban Melbourne has a fun idea to start a side hustle running workshops for hens' parties, she has no idea it will lead her on a surreal adventure (or twenty) through the underground world of kink clubs and swingers' parties. Nor does she know that it will bring her out on the other end as one of Australia's most recognised Dominatrixes. Mistress Jane has penned a memoir that is both a salacious tell-all and a love letter to Melbourne's BDSM community. Complete with celebrity encounters, exciting opportunities, and lessons in kink, love, and parenthood, she shows us how having multiple identities is not only possible, but incredible, and that some mums really are superheroes – they might just use their rope and masks in a different way than you'd expect.
In this episode of The Comics Question, Bernard Caleo interviews Sarah Firth on the topic of Eventually Everything Connects. Eventually Everything Connects is Firth's debut graphic novel, a collection of interconnected visual essays created over eight years. Firth invites you into her wild mind as she explores ways to see with fresh eyes, to face the inevitability of change, and to find freedom in sensuality.
In this episode, hear an online conversation between Zadie Smith and Esther Anatolitis (editor of Meanjin).Smith’s new book The Fraud is a dazzling novel about truth and fiction, Jamaica and Britain, fraudulence and authenticity, and the mystery of 'other people.’ Set in late 19th century London, Smith uses the real-world Tichborne Trial as a storytelling spine. At the time, this trial captivated England. At its core, it was a trial about identity: Sir Roger Tichborne, long believed dead, arrives back in England to claim his title. The only witness called is Andrew Bogle, a former enslaved man from Jamaica. Reacting to the story is Mrs Eliza Touchet, the housekeeper and cousin of once successful novelist William Ainsworth.
In this episode, a conversation with academics and writers Mark Edele and Marko Pavlyshyn. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine came as a shock to most of the world. In order to understand why this happened, a growing army of self-declared experts provided explanations often misrepresenting the history of Ukraine and of Russia and misinterpreting the pre-history of this war and the role of outside forces. Mark Edele, a world authority on the history of the Soviet Union, explains why and how this conflict came about in his new book, Russia's War Against Ukraine. He considers competing historical claims and arguments with authority and lucidity. The book informs a more nuanced and well-informed debate about this war and its implications.Please note, this is a recording from a live in-store event.
In this episode, a conversation with author, speechwriter and poet Joel Deane, on his eagerly-awaited new novel, Judas Boys. Deane’s protagonist (of sorts) Pinnock is, as the title suggests, a Judas Boy – a private schoolboy gone to seed. He's lost his job as a political staffer. He sleeps in the garage of his estranged wife. He has finally run out of friends and must face his accusers – both the living and the dead. This book is a searing de profundis that reads like the secret history behind today's political headlines. Deane brings the aftermath of professional catastrophe, personal betrayal, and public disgrace to life with a poet's ear for the human voice fractured in extremis.
In today’s episode, a conversation with David McAllister, author of Ballet Confidential. Ballet Confidential takes us backstage, in a manner of speaking, and serves as a wonderfully elucidatory introduction to the world of ballet. McAllister’s enthusiasm paired with experience, mastery even, means that Ballet Confidential has something for everyone, from longtime fans of ballet to those who it might have never occurred to step a foot inside the theatre.Mcallister is the former artistic director and principal dancer of The Australian Ballet, which he joined in 1983. Among many major works, he performed principal roles with the company in The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote, Coppelia, Onegin, and Manon.
Please note, this episode contains discussion of child sexual abuse.In this episode, hear David Meagher, author of Secrets and Lies, in conversation. Secrets and Lies is a story about child sexual abuse; the culture that enabled it; how the perpetrator groomed his victims; how the abuse came to an end; and how, four decades after the crimes were committed, his victims embarked on a successful two-year journey to bring the offender to justice. To interview David about this book, and this story, we’re joined by Stephen Brook, deputy editor of The Sunday Age.
In this episode, a conversation with poet and author Siân Hughes, whose book Pearl is longlisted for this year’s Booker Prize. Pearl is a stunning novel, originally published in the United Kingdom by The Indigo Press, and has just been republished in Australia by University of Queensland Press. Pearl is a ghost story, a folk story, a story of loss and familial haunting. Hughes’ narrator, Marianne, is eight years old when her mother goes missing. Left behind with her baby brother and grieving father in a ramshackle house on the edge of a small village, she clings to the fragmented memories of her mother’s love, and the songs and stories of her childhood. Discovering a medieval poem called Pearl and trusting in its promise of consolation, Marianne sets out to make a visual illustration of it, a task that returns to over and over but somehow never manages to complete.
In this episode, a conversation with journalists, Tracey Kirkland and Gavin Fang, editors of the essay collection, Pandemedia: How Covid Changed Journalism. The Covid-19 pandemic ripped through the world with no regard for borders, age, status or wealth. It was brutal in its impact and created a raft of new social norms. And without warning, the pandemic changed journalism, in some ways irrevocably. With contributors including Stan Grant, Michelle Grattan, David Speers, Alan Kohler, Lisa Millar and Dr Norman Swan, Pandemedia takes readers behind the scenes of Australia's media organisations to give a firsthand perspective on the new reign of the fourth estate.
In this episode, a recording taken from the launch for Eugen Bacon’s most recent novel, Serengotti. This is a novel bathed in sensuous, original language, a love letter to the strong women who bind families together despite everything. It’s also a tender remembrance of the many who haven’t or couldn’t survive the dislocations and tragedies of their turbulent pasts. For the launch, Bacon was in conversation with award-winning author and translator Dominique Hecq.
In this episode, author Kate Grenville talks about her latest book, Restless Dolly Maunder. This novel brings Kate’s grandmother to life as someone we can recognise and whose struggles we can empathise with.
This compelling new novel is the story of a woman, working her way through a world of limits and obstacles, who was able — if at a cost —to make a life she could call her own. Her battles and triumphs helped to open doors for the women who came after.
Grenville was interviewed by Yves Rees, writer, historian and podcaster who co-hosts Archive Fever.
In this episode, The Victorian Pride Centre on Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, in Melbourne’s south, was opened on 11 July 2021. Its location, its design and its well-thought out objectives combine to make it one of the most imaginative and sympathetic public places in Australia.
Dr Judith Buckrich’s book, The Making Of The Victorian Pride Centre, details not only the building of this now-iconic centre and its gorgeous architecture, but also provides an overview of the history of LGBTIQ+ people in Australia, particularly in Melbourne, in a beautifully photographed and edited volume.
To go into the history of the Pride Centre, we were joined by Jude Munro, inaugural chair of the Victorian Pride Centre, and, Nicholas Henderson, sound curator at the National Film and Sound Archive and curator at the Australian Queer Archive. To interview our guests, we enlisted the help of James McKenzie, longtime broadcaster on 3CR Community Radio with the show In Ya Face.
In this episode, an interview with Polly Barton, writer and translator.
Barton is the author of two books of nonfiction, Fifty Sounds from 2021, and Porn: An Oral History, published this year. Barton has also translated numerous works of fiction from Japanese into English, including Mieko Kanai’s Mild Vertigo and Kikuko Tsumura’s There’s No Such Thing As An Easy Job – with more to come.
This episode is the fourth instalment of The Comics Question series. In these podcasts, Bernard Caleo and Nico Callaghan discuss comics, graphic novels, and the place they inhabit within the broader books and publishing world.
For this episode, Bernard and Nico sat down with Michael Fikaris, a central figure in both the comic book and street art movements of the early 2000s in his hometown of Melbourne. Fikaris has exhibited in professional and guerrilla contexts locally and abroad. His artwork is held in numerous private collections along with the National Gallery of Victoria, State Library of Victoria, and National Gallery of Australia.
In today’s episode, from one of Australia’s most wryly funny writers comes an original and utterly hilarious memoir of reaching for the stars while lying in a ditch.
Robert Skinner arrives in Melbourne, searching for a richer life. Things begin badly and then, surprisingly, get slightly worse. Pretty soon he’s sleeping rough and trying to run a literary magazine out of a dog park. His quest for meaning keeps being thwarted, by endless jobs, beagles, house parties, ill-advised love affairs, camel trips and bureaucratic entanglements.
Sometimes a book catches the spirit of the times, and Skinner’s book I’d Rather Not is about work, escape and that something more we all need.
In this episode, a discussion with author Angela O’Keeffe about her new novel, The Sitter.
Paris, 2020. A writer is confined to her hotel room during the early days of the pandemic, struggling to finish a novel about Hortense Cezanne, wife and sometime muse of the famous painter. Dead for more than a century, Hortense has been reawakened by this creative endeavour, and now shadows the writer through the locked-down city. But Hortense, always subject to the gaze of others, is increasingly intrigued by the woman before her. Who is she and what event hides in her past?
Heartbreaking and perfectly formed, The Sitter explores the tension between artist and subject, and between the stories told about us and the stories we choose to tell.
In this episode, hear Om Dhungel and James Button in conversation with Elly Varenti, to celebrate the publication of Om’s memoir, Bhutan to Blacktown.
This book tells Om Dhungel’s remarkable story — his journey from a remote village to a senior position in the Bhutanese Civil Service, to life as a human rights activist in Nepal and, eventually, to his work as a community leader in Blacktown, western Sydney.
Every step prepared Om for the central role he would play in settling more than 5000 Bhutanese refugees, in one of the most successful refugee initiatives in Australia’s history. Written with Walkley Award-winning journalist James Button, Bhutan to Blacktown is a story of grit and struggle, humour and irrepressible optimism — and how losing nearly everything shaped one man’s character and fate.
In this episode, a recording taken from bestselling journalist Antony Loewenstein discussing his latest book, The Palestine Laboratory.
This book demonstrates in depth how Israel has become a leader in developing spying technology and defence hardware that fuels some of the globe’s most brutal conflicts. Loewenstein was interviewed at our Carlton store by Jeff Sparrow, a writer, journalist and broadcaster.
In this episode, Bruce Wolpe in conversation with Sean Kelly to discuss Wolpe's new book, Trump's Australia.
In the book, leading expert and US and Australian politics insider Wolpe reveals the many ways in which Australia was damaged by Donald Trump's presidency, and ponders what could happen if Trump (or a Trump-like candidate) becomes US president in 2024.
In this episode, a conversation with Andrew Skeoch, author of the recently released book, Deep Listening to Nature.
As one of Australia's best-known nature sound recordists, Skeoch’s work offers us an invitation and an opportunity to open our ears to nature, and to learn from the world around us. Particularly focused on avian life, his book is an inspiring text filled with reflection, wonder and rumination.
In this episode, a conversation with author Tegan Bennet Daylight, centred around her new YA novel, Royals.
A group of teenagers alone in an empty shopping centre, with everything they could possibly want ... and a baby? With no phones, no internet and no way out, Shannon and five other trapped teens are completely disconnected from the outside world ... and their online lives. It’s hard to say whether they’ll be driven to delinquency, or – even worse – forced to make friends irl.
This conversation took place as part of the Readings Teen Advisory Board program.
In today’s episode, booksellers Justin Amalimal Cantrell and Nico Callaghan are joined by Aurelia Guo, a writer and researcher based in London, for a conversation centred on her book, World of Interiors.
Of the book, Guo writes: “In World of Interiors I use collage and appropriation to destabilise the first-person ‘I’. I also write directly about the inescapable condition of being perceived and positioned by other people. Our lives take place in time and space, meaning in history and geography, as well as in relation to one another – not just interpersonally, but intergenerationally, with all the baggage of race, class, gender and nation that this implies. I write about economic cycles of wealth and poverty at the levels of the individual, group and state. The book is about travel and immigration: migrants, tourists and refugees. It is about the work of survival and the cost of survival. It is also a hopeful book – about how strong and indomitable the will can be.”
In this episode, an interview with Ros Ben-Moshe, author of The Laughter Effect, a powerful philosophy that enhances wellbeing and provides you with a road map to tap into the lighter side of life and awaken both your inner and outer smile.
Drawing on research, practice and wisdom from humour and laughter therapy, along with positive psychology and neuroscience, health promotion academic and laughter wellness expert Ros Ben-Moshe offers a new dimension to self-care, elevating mindfulness, gratitude and self-compassion. This book is enriched by case studies from around the globe, and Ros shares how the highly accessible Laughter Effect enhances resilience to stress, enabling you to respond to adversity and bounce forward with humour, levity and grace. Living the Laughter Effect will awaken a positive change in yourself, how you respond to the world and, in turn, how the world responds to you.
In this episode, Mary Crooks, executive director of the Victorian Women’s Trust, chairs a conversation with the authors of The Voice To Parliament Handbook, Thomas Mayo and Kerry O’Brien.
The Voice to Parliament Handbook is an easy-to-follow guide for the millions of Australians who have expressed support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart, but want to better understand what a Voice to Parliament actually means.
In this episode, a conversation with Sarah Street, author of the new book, A Curse of Salt. Drawing comparisons to Brigid Kemmerer’s Cursebreakers series and Sarah J Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses, Street’s debut novel is a reworking of the time-old tale of Beauty and The Beast set amidst the high seas.
In this episode, a recording taken from an event at Readings Carlton, to celebrate the publication of Benjamin Hegarty’s book, The Made Up State: technology, trans femininity and Citizenship in Indonesia. In The Made Up State, anthropologist Benjamin Hegarty contends that warias, who compose one of Indonesia's trans feminine populations, have cultivated a distinctive way of captivating the affective, material, and spatial experiences of belonging to a modern public sphere. Hegarty was joined in discussion by Dennis Altman, Vice Chancellor's Fellow at LaTrobe University and University of Melbourne Cultural Studies Researcher Annisa Beta.
In this episode, a conversation with Mikki Brammer. Her new novel, The Collected Regrets of Clover, is a big-hearted and life-affirming novel that turns the normally taboo subject of death into a reason to celebrate life. It's a sparkling debut which reminds us all to live life with fewer regrets. Brammer was interviewed by Readings Marketing Manager, Rosalind McClintock.
This episode features a live event recording taken of a conversation between Alexis Wright and Ivor Indyk, to celebrate the publication of Wright’s new novel, Praiseworthy. Alexis Wright is a remarkable writer, originally hailing from the from the Waanyi nation in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Her novel Carpentaria won the 2007 Miles Franklin award, and Wright was awarded the 2018 Stella Prize for her biography of “Tracker" Tilmouth. Praiseworthy is Wright’s fourth novel.
In this episode, a conversation with Kate J. Armstrong, author of the new YA novel, Nightbirds. Set in a dazzling new fantasy world full of whispered secrets and political intrigue, the magic of women is outlawed but three girls with unusual gifts have the chance to change it all. Filled with sumptuous, cinematic writing and dazzling details, Nightbirds is a fiercely feminist fantasy debut where the most potent magic lies not in a kiss, but in the truth. Armstrong is in conversation with the Readings Marketing Assistant, Lucie Dess.
In this episode, listen to a conversation between English author Max Porter and Readings Podcast Editor, Nico Callaghan. This recording is taken from an online event celebrating the release of Porter’s most recent novel, Shy.
This episode features the recording of an online conversation focused on the newest edition of The Quarterly Essay, The Wires That Bind: Electrification and Community Renewal, penned by Saul Griffith. In this edition, inventor, engineer and visionary Saul Griffith reveals the world that awaits us if we make the most of Australia’s energy future. Griffith was interviewed by Simon Holmes A Court, an Australian business and political activist, and the convenor of Climate 200.
This recording is the third instalment of The Comics Question series. In these podcasts, Bernard Caleo and Nico Callaghan discuss comics, graphic novels, and the place they inhabit within the broader books and publishing world.In this episode, Bernard and Nico sit down with Steven Christie, writer and artist to discuss, among other things, his publications Arrowheads and Turtlenecks.
In this episode, a recording taken from the launch of Gregory Day’s novel, The Bell of The World. The Bell of the World is both a song to the natural wonders that are not yet gone and a luminous prehistory of contemporary climate change and its connection to colonialism. Bell is in conversation with writer and broadcaster Elly Varrenti.
In this episode, a conversation with Hugh Mackay, social psychologist and bestselling author. Mackay’s latest book, The Therapist, is a powerful and poignant story of deception, ambiguity, lust and love – and the challenge of living with the consequences of our actions.
In this episode, enjoy a discussion with author Katherine Kovacic about her latest work, Seven Sisters. Seven Sisters is a twisty, intriguing crime novel for fans of The Mother and The Family Doctor.
A recording of the launch for Kate Auty’s book, O’Leary Of The Underworld: The Untold Story of the Forest River Massacre. This book is a powerful investigation that reveals the deep injustices inflicted on Aboriginal people in the Kimberley in the 1920s. Please note, this episode contains discussion topics and readings from Auty’s work that some listeners may find distressing.
In this episode, hear Margaret Simons in conversation with Tim Dunlop about his book, Voices of Us. The book is a reflection on the most recent Australian federal election, and an analysis of the transformation Australian politics is capable of — to potentially become a progressive, open, economically stable and egalitarian nation.
In this episode, we're joined by Dominic Smith, author of the acclaimed Last Painting of Sara De Vos, a Readings favourite, to discuss his new book, Return to Valetto. A nearly abandoned Italian village, the family that stayed, and long-buried secrets from World War II. On a hilltop in Umbria sits Valetto. Once a thriving village-and a hub of resistance and refuge during World War II-centuries of earthquakes, landslides and the lure of a better life have left it neglected. Only ten residents remain, including the widows Serafino – three eccentric sisters and their steely centenarian mother – who live quietly in their medieval villa. Then their nephew and grandson, Hugh, a historian, returns. But someone else has arrived before him, laying claim to the cottage where Hugh spent his childhood summers. The unwelcome guest is the captivating and no-nonsense Elisa Tomassi, who asserts that the family patriarch, Aldo Serafino, a resistance fighter whom her own family harboured, gave the cottage to them in gratitude. Like so many threads of history, this revelation unravels a secret – a betrayal, a disappearance and an unspeakable act of violence – that has impacted Valetto across generations. Who will answer for the crimes of the past? To interview Dominic, we’re joined by Readings’ Managing Director, Mark Rubbo.
Today’s episode is the second instalment of The Comics Question series. In these podcasts we discuss comics, graphic novels, and the place they inhabit within the broader books and publishing world. In this episode, we sit down with Charlie Hill-Smith, who, among many talents and pursuits like filmmaking, has produced a new comic, Crime Scene Australia. Charlie is in conversation with Bernard Caleo.
Tait Ischia in conversation about his publishing journey and bestselling book, Copywrong to Copywriter.
Young adult author Ann Liang in conversation with Angela Crocombe and the Readings Teen Advisory Board. They discuss Liang’s recent novel If You Could See the Sun and her upcoming novel This Time It’s Real as well as her pathway to becoming a published author.
A conversations between Raimond Gaita & his nephew Ari about the photography anthology, Heart Middle Park.
Join us for another session of the Readings / Australian Red Cross Book Club on the laws and impact of war.In this session we are joined by Andrew Quilty, to discuss his latest book, August in Kabul.
Richard Fidler in conversation with fellow author Chloe Hooper about Fidler's latest work, The Book of Roads and Kingdoms.
Michael Farrell discusses his latest collection of poetry, Googlecholia. This recording includes Farrell reading from the collection.
A live recording of the launch event for Kill Your Darlings fourth print anthology, New Australian Fiction 2022. This recording includes writers reading their original works.
Dominique Roques in conversation about his new book, In Search of Perfumes.In Search of Perfumes is a fragrant journey across the world, revealing the beauty and mysteries of the perfume trade.
Respected journalist Kristine Ziwica in conversation with Tasneem Chopra about Ziwica's new book for the Crikey Reads series, Leaning Out.
Join us for another session of the Readings / Australian Red Cross Book Club on the laws and impact of war.In this session we are joined by Hugo Slim, to discuss his latest book, Solferino 21.
Simon Holmes à Court in conversation with Mark Rubbo about Court's new book, The Big Teal.
Lystra Rose in conversation about her debut young adult novel, The Upwelling. This conversation took place as part of our Teen Advisory Board program.
The first episode in a new series on the Readings Podcast, which focuses on all things comics!
In this episode, our own Bernard Caleo speaks to fellow comic artist Mirranda Burton about her graphic novel, Underground. Underground was the recent winner of the 2022 Readings Young Adult Prize.
George Saunders in conversation with Sean O'Beirne about Saunders' new short story collection, Liberation Day.
David Whish-Wilson in conversation with Brooke Dunnell about Whish-Wilson's latest novel, The Sawdust House.
Join us for another session of the Readings / Australian Red Cross Book Club on the laws and impact of war.
In this session we are joined by former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans AC QC, to discuss his latest book, Good International Citizenship: The Case for Decency.
Nell Pierce’s A Place Near Eden was the 2022 winner of The Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award. Hear Pierce in conversation about her award-winning work.
Miranda Luby in conversation about her debut YA novel, Sadie Starr's Guide to Starting Over.
Ramona Vijeyarasa in converasation about her recent work, The Woman President. Vijeyarasa is in conversation with Mary Crooks from Victorian Women's Trust.
The second session of the 2022 Readings / Australian Red Cross Book Club. This session focuses on the laws and impact of war. In conversation is Steve Killelea AM discussing his debut book, Peace in the Age of Chaos.
Inala Cooper in conversation with Jonathan Green about Cooper's recently released book, Marrul: Aboriginal Identity & the Fight for Rights.
Hayley Scrivenor in conversation with fellow author Lyn Yeowart about Scrivenor's debut novel, Dirt Town.
Diego Bonetto discusses his new book Eat Weeds and how to engage with wild food sources.
Sarah Holland-Batt discusses her poetry collection The Jaguar with fellow author Emily Bitto.
Karlie Noon and Krystal De Napoli in conversation about their recent book, Astronomy: Sky Country
Comedian and crime author Benjamin Stevenson in conversation about his latest work, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.
Warren Ward in conversation with Lee Kofman about Ward's recent book, Lovers of Philosophy. Lovers of Philosophy explores the love lives of seven philosophers and how their most intimate experiences came to shape their ideas.
Young adult author E. Lockhart in conversation with fellow author Lynette Noni. Together they discuss the craft of storytelling and Lockhart's latest novel, Family of Liars.
Tom Tilley in conversation with John Safran about Tilley's recently published memoir, Speaking in Tongues.
m//otherland is a literary debut that cradles the intimacies of longing and love for a country torn apart by distance, violence and desire. In the tradition of Latin American literature, these poems explore the nooks of Mexican roots, family, queerness, sanctity and memory.
Professor Toby Walsh, a world-leading researcher in the field of artificial intelligence, explores the ethical considerations and unexpected consequences that AI poses for the future.
Andrew Leigh in conversation with Mark Rubbo about Leigh's book, 'What's The Worst That Could Happen?'. In the book, Leigh looks at catastrophic risks and how to mitigate them, arguing provocatively that the rise of populist politics makes catastrophe more likely.
Sarah Krasnostein in conversation with fellow author Chloe Hooper about Krasnostein's recent Quarterly Essay on mental health and vulnerability in Australia.
Journalist, social commentator, and author Jane Caro in conversation about her new crime novel, The Mother.
World-renowned psychologist Peter Quarry in conversation about his book, If I Were You.
Author for young adults Lynette Noni in conversation with Angela Crocombe and the Readings Teen Advisory Board.
David Hunt in conversation about the latest volume of his Unauthorised History of Australia series, Girt Nation.
Bernadette Brennan in conversation with Ramona Koval about her latest work Leaping into Waterfalls, which explores the rich, tumultuous life of Gillian Mears, one of Australia’s most significant writers.
Chief Economist at The Australia Institute, Richard Denniss, discusses his latest essay, Big: The Role of the State in the Modern Economy, published as part of the In The National Interest series.
Jeff Sparrow, author of Crimes Against Nature, discusses the nature of capitalism and our current environmental crisis with fellow author Tony Birch.
Jess Hill in conversation about how the #MeToo movement is changing Australia and her recently released Quarterly Essay, The Reckoning.
Judith Brett in conversation with Susan Carland about Brett's insightful collection of essays, Doing Politics.
On the eve of the publication of her fourth poetry collection How Decent Folk Behave, poet Maxine Beneba Clarke and Thuy On, author of the critically acclaimed poetry collection Turbulence, come together in a poetic dialogue to read recent poems and discuss reading and writing poetry in a changing world.
A special crime event to celebrate the new novels from authors Christian White(Wild Place)and Anna Downes (The Shadow House). Coincidentally, both novels ask the question: why do good people do bad things?
This event is hosted by fellow author Kate Mildenhall.
A conversation on between friends Helen Garner and Charlotte Wood to celebrate the release of Garner's latest volume of diaries, How to End a Story.
A conversation on love between Trent Dalton and Julia Baird (Phosphorescence) to celebrate the release of Dalton's latest work, Love Stories.
A conversation between authors Christos Tsiolkas and Angela Savage to celebrate the release of Tsiolkas' latest novel, Seven and a Half.
Scottish author Graeme Macrae Burnet talking about his new book, Case Study, with literary journalist Jane Sullivan.
A conversation between crime authors Ruth McIver and J.P. Pomare to celebrate the launch of McIver's new novel, I Shot the Devil.
A conversation on creativity between authors Helen Garner and Charlotte Wood about Wood's latest work, The Luminous Solution.
Lucia Osborne-Crowley in conversation with Zara McDonald about Osborne-Crowley's latest work, My Body Keeps Your Secrets.
In celebration of Footy Banners, Leigh Meyrick and Matthew Hagias chat about the traditions and idiosyncrasies that make the footy game uniquely ours. With guest appearance from Melbourne's Adam Tomlinson.
A conversation with the remarkable Dianne O'Brien (also known as Auntie Di) about her memoir, Daughter of River Country.
A conversation between anthology curator Ellen van Neerven and Flock contributors Cassie Lynch, Melanie Saward, and Adam Thompson.
A conversation with Anne Enright about her formidable body of work and her latest novel, Actress.
A conversation between authors Ronnie Scott and Briohny Doyle. Together they discuss Doyle's latest novel, Echolalia.
A conversation between authors Bri Lee and Susan Carland. Together they discuss Lee's latest work, Who Gets to Be Smart.
A conversation between authors Sarah Sentilles and Kate Mildenhall. Together they discuss Sentilles' memoir, Stranger Care.
A conversation between authors Sarah Krasnostein and Chloe Hooper. Together they discuss Krasnostein's latest work, The Believer.
A conversation between former ABC US bureau chief, Zoe Daniel, and ABC journalist, Raf Epstein. Together they discuss Daniel's new book, Greetings from Trumpland.
Kirsty Everett joins us to talk about her memoir. Honey Blood is the story of a life lived, instead a life planned and her experience with Leukaemia.
Author and veteran journalist Bret Christian joins us to talk about his compelling new work of true crime, Stalking Claremont.
Writer and broadcaster Ramona Koval chats with literary journalist Jane Sullivan about her insightful new book, A Letter to Layla. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Garth Nix chats with fellow author James Bradley about his enthralling new historical fantasy, The Left-Handed Booksellers of London. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Investigative journalist Louise Milligan chats with political commentator Annabel Crabb about her masterful and deeply troubling new book, Witness. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Award-winning poet PiO chats with Giramondo publisher Ivor Indyk about poetry, on and off the page. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Richard Fidler chats with Readings bookseller Marie Matteson about his new personally curated history of Prague, The Golden Maze. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Katharine Murphy chats with journalist David Marr about her new Quarterly Essay: The End of Certainty - Scott Morrison and Pandemic Politics. This conversation was recorded online during the Covid-19 crisis.
Hugh Mackay chats with Readings events manager Chris Gordon about his two new books: The Question of Love and The Inner Self. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Andrew O'Hagan chats with fellow author Jane Sullivan about his new novel, Mayflies. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Kalynn Bayron chats with fellow author Astrid Scholte about her new YA novel, Cinderella Is Dead. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Will Kostakis chats with fellow author Melina Marchetta about his new YA novel, Rebel Gods. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai chats with Readings events manager Chris Gordon about her novel, The Mountains Sing. This conversation was recorded online during the Covid-19 crisis.
Tegan Bennett Daylight chats with fellow author Alice Robinson about her new book, The Details: On Love, Death and Reading. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Gabriel Bergmoser chats with fellow author Caroline Overington about his gripping crime thriller, The Hunted. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Andrew Fowler chats with writer and performer Bryan Dawe about his new nonfiction work documenting the life of Julian Assange -- 'the most dangerous man in the world'. This conversation was recorded online during the Covid-19 crisis.
Melissa Davey chats with broadcaster Tom Ballard about her new nonfiction work, The Case of George Pell. This conversation was recorded online during the Covid-19 crisis.
Lisa Taddeo chats with fellow author Alice Robinson about her critically acclaimed nonfiction work, Three Women. This conversation was recorded online during the Covid-19 crisis.
Kate Grenville chats with fellow author Melanie Cheng about A Room Made of Leaves, her highly imaginative retelling of the life of Elizabeth Macarthur. This conversation was recorded online during the Covid-19 crisis.
Richard Ford chats with literary editor Jason Steger about his new story collection, Sorry For Your Trouble. This conversation was recorded online during the Covid-19 crisis.
Judith Brett chats with journalist Geraldine Doogue about her new Quarterly Essay: The Coal Curse - Resources, Climate and Australia’s Future. This conversation was recorded online during the Covid-19 crisis.
Lauren Chater chats with Readings bookseller Marie Matteson about her enthralling work of historical fiction, Gulliver’s Wife. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Jo Lennan chats with her publisher Ben Ball about her exciting debut story collection, In the Time of Foxes. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Frances Chapman chats with Sydney Writers' Festival's Amelia Lush about her Ampersand award-winning YA debut, Stars Like Us. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
YA Publisher Jo Case hosts a discussion with four Australian YA Authors: Sarah Epstein, Poppy Nwosu, Kay Kerr and Anna Whateley. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
John Martinkus chats with fellow investigative journalist Mark Davis about his fearless book, The Road: Uprising in West Papua. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Patrick Ness chats with Readings events manager Chris Gordon about his new YA novel, Burn. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Robbie Arnott chats with Readings bookseller Marie Matteson about his second novel, The Rain Heron. This conversation was recorded online over Skype during the Covid-19 crisis.
Billy Bragg chats with Professor Tony Birch about his stirring essay, The Three Dimensions of Freedom. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Sarah Jane Adams chats with author and photographer Ari Seth Cohen about her new memoir, Life In A Box. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Chris Flynn chats with fellow author Christos Tsiolkas about his new novel, Mammoth. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
LoveOzYA stars Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff chat with our events manager Chris Gordon about Aurora Burning, their second book in their bestselling sci-fi series. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
In the fifth episode of the Readings Kids Podcast, Leanne and Angela talk about what people have been reading during the Covid-19 lockdown and the realities of home schooling. This episode also includes a bonus interview with Jessica Miller about her new fantasy middle grade novel, The Republic of Birds. It was recorded online over Skype during the Covid-19 crisis.
Ronnie Scott chats with fellow author Chris Somerville about his debut novel, The Adversary. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Actor, activist and now author Miranda Tapsell chats with Readings bookseller Marie Matteson about her deadly new memoir, Top End Girl. This conversation was recorded online over Skype during the Covid-19 crisis.
Margaret Simons chats with author Don Watson about her new Quarterly Essay: Cry Me A River - The Tragedy of the Murray-Darling Basin. This conversation was recorded online during the Covid-19 crisis.
Bernard Collaery chats with former Victorian Premier Steve Bracks about his significant work of nonfiction, Oil Under Troubled Water. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
Donna Ward chats with Readings bookseller Donata Carrazza about her new work of nonfiction, She I Dare Not Name. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.
In the fifth episode of the Readings Kids Podcast, Leanne and Angela share book recommendations for staying at home and feeling calm - with kids!
Sean O'Beirne chats with Readings bookseller and author Chris Somerville about his debut work of fiction, A Couple of Things Before the End.
In the fourth episode of the Readings Kids Podcast, Leanne and Angela share books to help facilitate conversations about the recent Australian bushfires with kids, and also discuss the six books shortlisted for this year's Readings Children's Book Prize.
In our latest episode of Good Cop, Bad Cop, Readings crime specialists Fiona Hardy and Deborah Crabtree chat to author and On Writing podcast host JP Pomare about his new novel, In the Clearing. They also all share the crime books they're excited to read in 2020.
In the third episode of the Readings Kids Podcast, Leanne and Angela do a whistle-stop tour of their favourite books of the past year. This episode also includes a bonus interview with YA author Will Kostakis about his new fantasy book, Monuments.
Virginia Trioli discusses her groundbreaking book, Generation F, first published in 1996, with Jamila Rizvi. This is a live recording from our event.
2017 Stella Prize winner Heather Rose chats with Readings bookseller Amanda Rayner about her new novel, Bruny.
In our third episode of crime series, Good Cop, Bad Cop, Readings crime specialists Fiona Hardy and Deborah Crabtree chat to Chris Hammer about his second crime novel, Silver.
Legendary singer-songwriter and storyteller Archie Roach shares stories from his life. This is a live recording from our event.
Clare Bowditch chats with Dr Susan Carland about her frank and powerful memoir, Your Own Kind of Girl. This is a live recording from our event.
In the second episode of the Readings Kids Podcast, Leanne and Angela chat about the rom-com boom in YA fiction, high concept board books for babies, and YA twitter.
Alice Bishop chats with Readings bookseller David Little about her debut work of fiction, A Constant Hum.
Award-winning screenwriter and author David Nicholls chats with our events manager Chris Gordon about his writing career.
Annabel Crabb chats with Virginia Trioli about her new Quarterly Essay exploring Australia's 'parenthood trap'. This is a live recording from our event.
Singer-songwriter Ben Folds chats with Readings bookseller David Little about his new memoir, A Dream About Lightning Bugs.
Readings bookseller David Little chats with Justin Heazlewood about his memoir, Get Up Mum.
Readings' events and programming manager Christine Gordon sits down with poet Andy Jackson and author Lee Kofman to discuss lyrical prose, poetry, writing and how we can be our most honest selves.
Readings events and programming manager Chris Gordon talks to author Felicity McLean about her quintessentially Australian coming-of-age story, The Van Apfel Girls Are Gone.
Children's bookseller and author Leanne Hall sits down with Readings Kids shop manager Angela Crocombe, to give us an insight into the wonderful world of kids' publishing and bookselling. They touch on representation and diversity in children's publishing, the success of Bruce Pascoe's Young Dark Emu, and give us some of their personal children's books recommendations.
Rebecca Huntley is one of Australia’s foremost social researchers. In the Quarterly Essay, Huntley looks at the state of the nation and asks: what does social-democratic Australia want, and why? In this episode of the Readings Podcast, Huntley discuss these essential and timely questions with Maxine McKew.
We were delighted to have bestselling author Stan Grant in Melbourne for one night only to talk about his two new books, Australia Day and On Identity. Grant is in conversation with Nam Le, author of The Boat.
Author Matthew Warren drops by to talk to Tom Hoskins about his new book, Blackout, which asks the question, how is energy-rich Australia running out of electricity?
Bestselling writer Ben Elton is the author of several novels, including his most recent book Identity Crisis. In this live recording of our event, Elton talks to Shaun Micallef about his new comic satire.
Author Jane Caro drops by to talk to Chris Gordon about her latest book, Accidental Feminists, a celebration of how one generation became feminists and how their grit, adaptability, energy and persistence changed the world.
In our second episode of Good Cop, Bad Cop, Readings crime specialists Fiona Hardy and Deborah Crabtree chat to author and On Writing podcast host JP Pomare about his debut literary suspense novel Call Me Evie.
In our first episode of Good Cop, Bad Cop, Readings crime specialists Fiona Hardy and Deborah Crabtree chat to Dervla McTiernan about her second crime novel, The Scholar.
In this bonus episode (recorded a couple of weeks ago), Readings book buyer and bookseller Marie Matteson talks to events manager Chris Gordon about the forthcoming and new fiction and nonfiction she can't wait to read this year.
Hear our events manager Chris Gordon in conversation with Kirsten Alexander about her captivating new historical novel Half Moon Lake, which was inspired by a real case in America's Deep South about a lost boy and the two mothers who both seek to claim him.
Helen Garner talks with Chloe Hooper about her early career and the impact of Monkey Grip and The Children’s Bach on her writing life. This is a live recording from our event.
Readings children's specialist bookseller Leanne Hall talks to Chris Gordon about the children's and YA books she's most excited for in 2019.
Award-winning chef Yotam Ottolenghi is the author of several bestselling cookbooks, including Plenty, Sweet (co-authored with Helen Goh), and most recently, Simple. In this live recording of our sold-out event at the Melbourne Town Hall, Ottolenghi talks to Maeve O'Meara about the joy of remaining simple in his approach to food, life and love.
Two of our booksellers discuss some of the best books of 2018, and share their recommendations for holiday reading.
Carlton bookseller Marie Matteson chats with author and musician Holly Throsby about her second novel, Cedar Valley.
David Marr chats with George Megalogenis about a lifetime of writing and his new book, My Country. This is a live recording from our event.
Hear our events manager Chris Gordon in conversation with Clare Press about her empowering new book, Rise & Resist: How to Change the World.
Our Managing Director Mark Rubbo talks with David Malouf about his new book of poetry, An Open Book. This is a live recording from our event.
Hear our events manager Chris Gordon in conversation with Elizabeth Kleinhenz about her new biography, Germaine: The Life of Germaine Greer.
Don Watson talks with Martin Flanagan about the updated edition of his classic essay, On Indignation. This is a live recording from our event. (Photo credit: Susan Gordon-Brown)
Jennifer Down is the winner of this year’s Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction. Here, she chats with Ellen Cregan, chair of the judging panel, about her winning work of fiction, Pulse Points.
Clementine Ford talks about her new book, Boys Will Be Boys, which addresses toxic masculinity and raising a son. This is a live recording from our event.
Booksellers Fiona Hardy and Deborah Crabtree chat to Paul F. Verhoeven about his new book, Loose Units, which is part father–son story and part true-crime race through the underbelly of 1980s policing in Sydney.
Kids bookseller Leanne Hall chats with Ambelin Kwaymullina about editing the anthology, Meet Me at the Intersection.
Journalist Rachael Brown talks about the cold-case investigation of the 1980 murder of Melbourne bookseller Maria James, as featured in her award-winning ABC podcast, Trace. This is a live recording from our event.
Events manager Chris Gordon chats about this year's Readings Prize For New Australian Fiction shortlist with Ellen Cregan, chair of the judging panel. Find the shortlisted books here: http://bit.ly/2ORFSxP
Hear our Marketing Manager Nina Kenwood in conversation with author Emily Gale about her new young adult novel, I Am Out With Lanterns.
Hear our events and marketing coordinator Ellen Cregan in conversation with author Robbie Arnott about his surreal debut novel, Flames.
Carlton bookseller Marie Matteson chats with Dr Anita Heiss about editing the anthology, Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia.
Hear our events manager Chris Gordon in conversation with Trent Dalton about his wonderful debut novel, Boy Swallows Universe.
Booksellers Fiona Hardy and Deborah Crabtree chat to Christian White about his electrifying thriller, The Nowhere Child.
Our events manager Chris Gordon chats with Chris Gregory about making a record with Australian author Gerald Murnane.
Carlton bookseller Marie Matteson chats with academics, Emily Potter (Deakin) and Brigid Magner (RMIT), about their exciting project crafting a literary history of the Mallee Region.
Hear our bookseller Sean O’Beirne in conversation with author Christos Tsiolkas about the legacy of Nobel Prize winner Patrick White.
Hear our bookseller Robbie Egan in conversation with award-winning author Jennifer Egan.
Hear our bookseller Amanda Rayner in conversation with author Holly Ringland about her powerful debut novel, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.
Hear our events manager Chris Gordon in conversation with Jamila Rizvi about her new book, The Motherhood, in which many of Australia’s favourite women share what they wish they’d known about life with a newborn,
Our events manager Chris Gordon chats with the co-directors of Melbourne Jewish Book Week, Noe Harsel and Janine Schloss, and author Sarah Krasnostein, about the 2018 festival. Find the full program here: http://melbournejewishbookweek.com.au/
Hear our events and marketing coordinator Ellen Cregan in conversation with author Jamie Marina Lau about her startling debut novel, Pink Mountain on Locust Island.
Hear our Managing Director Mark Rubbo in conversation with Bob Sessions AM, the former publishing director of Penguin Books.
This special bonus episode is brought to you live from the book launch of Obsidio - the final book in the bestselling Illuminae Files trilogy from bestselling duo, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Kate Kleinitz from our Teen Advisory Board chat to Amie and Jay about this thrilling series.
Prize Manager Bronte Coates chats about this year's Readings Children's Book Prize shortlist with Kim Gruschow, chair of the judging panel. Find the shortlisted books here: http://bit.ly/2sXxLKc
Hear our Managing Director Mark Rubbo in conversation with Robert Manne, a leading public intellectual and emeritus professor of politics and vice-chancellor’s fellow at La Trobe University.
Booksellers Fiona Hardy and Deborah Crabtree geek out over their love of crime fiction, and share some of the most exciting new releases coming up in 2018.You can find all the books they mention here: http://bit.ly/2E9dhmS
Event manager Chris Gordon and Carlton bookseller Marie Matteson talk about the particular pleasure of reading non-fiction, and share some of their best picks for summer. You can find all the books they mention here: http://bit.ly/2DAMJ9P
Hear our bookseller Sean O’Beirne in conversation with author Helen Garner about her 50-year writing career.
Booksellers Angela Crocombe and Leanne Hall share their favourite children's and young adult books from the past year. You can find all the books they mention here: http://bit.ly/2CMIQO1
Three booksellers share their best summer reading recommendations from the past year. You can find all the books they mention here: http://bit.ly/2jskh1F
Hear our events manager Chris Gordon in conversation with Miles Franklin Literary Award winner, A.S. Patrić, about his new novel, Atlantic Black.
Hear our Readings Monthly editor Jo Case in conversation with author Rachel Khong about her wry and poignant debut novel, Goodbye, Vitamin.
Hear our Marketing and Events Coordinator Stella Charls in conversation with author Kayla Rae Whitaker about her brilliant debut novel, The Animators.
Events manager Chris Gordon chats about this year's Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction shortlist with two of the judges: Marie Matteson and Gabrielle Williams.
Hear our events manager Chris Gordon in conversation with Miles Franklin Literary Award winner, Sofie Laguna, about her new novel, The Choke.
Hear our Carlton shop manager Robbie Egan in conversation with author Tony Birch about his new short story collection, Common People.
In our 'Conversations with booksellers' series, our Managing Director Mark Rubbo chats with Readings staff about their work. This episode sees him in conversation with Readings Kids bookseller, award-winning author and Readings Foundation Grants Officer Leanne Hall.
Hear Reading Kids shop manager Angela Crocombe in conversation with author Zana Fraillon about The Bone Sparrow - the 2017 winner of the Readings Young Adult Book Prize.
Hear our book buyer Jason Austin in conversation with author Anna George about her new novel, The Lone Child.
Hear our Managing Director Mark Rubbo in conversation with Morry Schwartz, the owner of Black Inc. and the publisher of the Quarterly Essay, The Monthly and the The Saturday Paper.
Hear our Events Manager Chris Gordon and our Marketing Manager Nina Kenwood in conversation with Australian writers Jenny Valentish (Woman of Substances) and Brigid Delaney (Wellmania) as they discuss their new works exploring wellness, addiction, treatment, and the female experience.
Hear our bookseller Jo Case in conversation with Nadja Spiegelman about her memoir, I’m Supposed to Protect You from All This.
Hear our bookseller Sean O’Beirne in conversation with author George Saunders about his strange and wonderful first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo.
Hear our Marketing Manager Nina Kenwood in conversation with author Brit Bennett about her stunning debut novel, The Mothers.
Hear our Events Manager Chris Gordon in conversation with actress, mental health campaigner and author Ruby Wax.
Hear our Marketing Manager Nina Kenwood and our Events Manager Chris Gordon in conversation with author Jessa Crispin about her provocative new book, Why I am Not a Feminist.
Hear our Digital Marketing Manager Lian Hingee and our Events Manager Chris Gordon in conversation with author Lindy West about her essay collection, Shrill.
Hear our Events Manager Chris Gordon in conversation with illustrator and cartoonist Oslo Davis about his new book, Drawing Funny.
Hear our Events Manager Chris Gordon in conversation with author Steven Amsterdam about his new novel, The Easy Way Out.
Hear our Managing Director Mark Rubbo in conversation with author Maxine Beneba Clarke about her new memoir, The Hate Race.
Hear our Children's and Young Adult Book Specialist Angela Crocombe in conversation with author Lili Wilkinson about her new young adult novel, The Boundless Sublime.
Hear broadcaster Phillip Adams in conversation with Australian polymath, writer, lawyer and social activist Barry Jones. This is a live recording from our event.
Hear our Events Manager Chris Gordon in conversation with author and philosopher Alain de Botton about his new novel, The Course of Love.
Hear our Marketing Manager Nina Kenwood and our Events Manager Chris Gordon in conversation with author Hanya Yanagihara about her Booker-shortlisted novel, A Little Life.
Two leading political journalists discuss George Megalogenis’ Quarterly Essay, Balancing Act - Australia Between Recession and Renewal. This is a live recording from our event.
Helen Ellis, Virginia Reeves and Fiona McFarlane join our Event Manager Chris Gordon for a discussion about writing, feminism, and poker.
Hear our Managing Director Mark Rubbo in conversation with Craig Munro, one of Australia’s foremost editors.
Hear our Managing Director Mark Rubbo in conversation with Henry Rosenbloom, founder and publisher of Scribe Publications.